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Synonyms

foxy

American  
[fok-see] / ˈfɒk si /

adjective

foxier, foxiest
  1. foxlike; cunning or crafty; slyly clever.

    Synonyms:
    artful, sly, tricky, wily
  2. yellowish or reddish brown, as of the color of the common red fox.

  3. Slang.

    1. sexually appealing; attractive.

    2. stylish; modish.

      a foxy outfit.

    3. exciting and appealing, as a place, entertainment, or the like.

  4. discolored or foxed.

    pages of a book that had become foxy.

  5. (of a wine) having the pronounced flavor natural to native American grape varieties, as that of fox grapes or of Concord or Catawba grapes.

  6. (especially of a painting) having excessively warm tones; containing too much red.


foxy British  
/ ˈfɒksɪ /

adjective

  1. of or resembling a fox, esp in craftiness

  2. smelling strongly like a fox

  3. of a reddish-brown colour

  4. (of paper, wood, etc) spotted, esp by mildew

  5. (of wine) having the flavour of fox grapes

  6. (of oats) having a musty smell as a result of getting wet, fermenting, and drying out

  7. slang sexy; sexually attractive

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does foxy mean? Foxy is most commonly used as a slang word for sexy or attractive, as in I want to look really foxy for my reunion. Because it can sound a bit silly or old-fashioned, it’s sometimes used in a way that’s intended to be somewhat ironic or humorous (though this is not always the case.)Foxy can also be used to describe someone or something as clever or crafty, as in He’s a foxy competitor—don’t underestimate him. However, the expression clever as a fox is more commonly used to mean the same thing.Much less commonly, foxy can describe something as being a reddish-brown color that resembles the fur of a red fox, as in I like that foxy orange one. Example: You look positively foxy—what’s the occasion? 

Other Word Forms

  • foxily adverb
  • foxiness noun
  • unfoxy adjective

Etymology

Origin of foxy

1520–30; 1960–65 foxy for def. 3; fox + -y 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Savvier antagonists lodge parody of ruler suited up in a foxy tiara.

From Washington Post • Sep. 29, 2022

The show had already done a foxy job of evoking the thought, but it can’t resist returning to the passage with a highlighter.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 24, 2019

Others come in one of the nearly infinite shades of brown that tax the vocabulary of avian taxonomists: rufous, fulvous, ferruginous, bran-coloured, foxy.

From The Guardian • Mar. 23, 2018

And he has mostly avoided the rambling, winsome stories and foxy stumblebums who made readers fall in love with his books in the first place.

From New York Times • May 4, 2016

Basta emphasized the word, putting his foxy face so close to Meggie's she could see herself reflected in his eyes.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke