smudgy

American  

[smuhj-ee] / ˈsmʌdʒ i /

adjective

smudgier, smudgiest

1. marked with smudges; smeared; smeary.

2. emitting a stifling smoke; smoky.

3. British Dialect. humid; sweltering; sultry.

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smudgy British  

/ smʌdʒɪ /

adjective

1. smeared, blurred, or soiled, or likely to become so

2. made deliberately indistinct or cloudy

   smudgy colours

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Other Word Forms

• smudginess
  noun
• smudgily
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of smudgy

First recorded in 1840–50; smudge + -y ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

smudgy smudgier smudgiest

Pugh, with her droll line readings and smudgy blue eyeliner, plays apathy better than anyone; she’s compelling even with all the passion drained from her body.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2025

With their smudgy lines and soft colors, the paintings have the contours of realism while also dabbling in abstraction.

From New York Times ● Aug. 18, 2022

Instead of coming with the same shiny, instantly smudgy stainless steel case as Master & Dynamic’s previous earbuds, these include a redesigned case made from woven Kevlar fiber.

From The Verge ● Jul. 27, 2021

When the full eclipse took hold, however, the moon darkened, turning a smudgy burnt orange color for many viewers.

From Washington Post ● May 26, 2021

I imagined that I was coloring inside the lines of a coloring book, but the pencil was waxy and smudgy and an eye is nothing like a flat sheet of paper.

From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez

A cloud no larger and smudgier than a high-school boy's hand had dropped its first shadow between them.

From Star-Dust by Fannie Hurst

I can spot the smudgiest bus and the most hidden car with ease.

From The Verge ● May 23, 2021

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