smoky

American  

[smoh-kee] / ˈsmoʊ ki /

Also smokey

adjective

smokier, smokiest

1. emitting smoke, especially in large amounts.

2. hazy; darkened or begrimed with smoke.

3. having the character or appearance of smoke.

   smoky colors.

4. pertaining to or suggestive of smoke.

   a smoky haze.

5. of a dull or brownish gray; cloudy.

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smoky British  

/ ˈsməʊkɪ /

adjective

1. emitting, containing, or resembling smoke

2. emitting smoke excessively or in the wrong place

   a smoky fireplace

3. of or tinged with the colour smoke

   a smoky cat

4. having the flavour of having been cured by smoking

5. made dark, dirty, or hazy by smoke

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Other Word Forms

• smokily adverb
• smokiness noun
• unsmokily adverb
• unsmokiness noun
• unsmoky adjective

Etymology

Origin of smoky

A Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; smoke, -y ¹

Example Sentences

Tossed with pasta, egg, cheese, and a little of the starchy cooking water, they became a mushroom carbonara—rich, smoky, and deeply satisfying.

From Salon

Billie Holiday’s 1936 recording set the song on its path into the jazz canon—her smoky phrasing revealing new emotional colors.

From The Wall Street Journal

Aged Cheddar is that cheese, sharp enough to stand up to the smokiest of smoked meats.

From The Wall Street Journal

Charred furniture, lecterns and smoky curls of carpet are piled around the entrance - its guts emptied, and debris cleared, in time for Friday prayers.

From BBC

On the smoky, slow-burn number “Hide,” she imagines a relationship falling apart so slowly that the participants barely know it’s happening.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• burning
• dingy
• silvery
• smoldering
• thick