groggy
Americanadjective
-
groggier,
comparative
-
groggiest
superlative
adjective
-
dazed or staggering, as from exhaustion, blows, or drunkenness
-
faint or weak
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of groggy
Explanation
If you feel a little confused or foggy-headed you can say that you are groggy. When you first wake up, you might be groggy until you get up and start moving around. The adjective groggy comes from the noun grog, which was what the sailors back in the 1700’s called rum diluted with water. Today, grog is slang for any liquor. To feel groggy is to feel drunk, tipsy, weak or dazed. Boxers who’ve sustained numerous blows to the head can get pretty groggy, and they might stagger around the ring — a sign that they are feeling out of it.
Vocabulary lists containing groggy
100 SAT Words Beginning with "G"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Kindred
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"A Village After Dark" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
"I don't drink alcohol so it was such a lovely way to spend a morning when others were feeling groggy," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
For the first 10 days onboard, I woke up groggy, stuffed and head pounding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 30, 2025
Noah noted that traffic accidents appear to spike after the switch because drivers are groggy and thus less vigilant.
From Slate ● Oct. 31, 2025
My alarm blares its generic Apple chime, and I keep hitting snooze—only to wake up groggy, drained, and unmotivated to make the most of the dwindling daylight.
From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2025
They both wore tightly wrapped robes and the groggy, distressed expressions of adults who hadn’t expected to be awakened.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
I figured that I was just groggier than usual.
From New York Times ● Feb. 23, 2018
Hibs looked groggier still as they went 2-0 down.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2017
But for nearly all who have strained to establish a new routine, resetting their alarms for an earlier, groggier morning, the stifled commute from Hoboken to New York City remains uniquely vexing.
From New York Times ● Nov. 19, 2012
But he said it was nearly universal that anesthesiologists were being forced to use less familiar medications that leave patients groggier and with a higher risk of nausea and headaches.
From New York Times ● Sep. 30, 2010
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
