foggy
gb/fˈɑɡi/ us/fˈɑɡi/
B1
English
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B1
property
1
full of fog; hard to see
When it is foggy, there is thick fog and you cannot see far.
Usage pattern:
[weather/place] is foggy
Common mistake:
Don’t confuse foggy (with fog) with cloudy (with clouds).
Synonyms
misty (often lighter and less dense than foggy.)
|
hazy (often from heat, dust, or smoke rather than fog.)
Antonyms
clear (no fog; visibility is good.)
Collocations
foggy morning
|foggy day
|foggy night
|foggy weather
|foggy conditions
|foggy road
|foggy coast
|foggy hills
|foggy harbor
|foggy valley
Themes
weather
|travel
|nature
Examples
- It was foggy this morning, so the flight was delayed.
- The road gets dangerously foggy near the river at dawn.
- We drove slowly because the headlights barely cut through the foggy air.
Learner examples
- It is foggy today.
- Be careful driving in foggy weather.
adjective
B2
property
2
unclear or hard to understand
If something is foggy, it is not clear and you cannot understand it well.
Usage pattern:
a foggy [idea/plan/explanation/image]
Common mistake:
Foggy often describes unclear understanding (foggy idea), while blurry usually describes unclear vision (blurry photo).
Synonyms
vague (emphasizes lack of detail or precision.)
|
unclear (neutral term for not easy to understand.)
|
fuzzy (informal; suggests indistinctness.)
Antonyms
clear (easy to understand; not vague.)
|
precise (exact and specific.)
Collocations
foggy idea
|foggy explanation
|foggy details
|foggy outline
|foggy picture
|foggy plan
|foggy notion
|foggy understanding
|foggy concept
|foggy reasoning
Themes
communication
|thinking
Examples
- His explanation was still foggy, even after two examples.
- We only had a foggy idea of what the project would involve.
- The article gives a foggy picture of what actually happened.
Learner examples
- The instructions are foggy.
- I have a foggy idea of the plan.
adjective
B2
state
3
not thinking clearly; dazed
If you feel foggy, your mind feels slow or confused.
Usage pattern:
feel foggy; be foggy after [something]
Common mistake:
Foggy describes the mind (I feel foggy). Sleepy describes wanting to sleep (I feel sleepy).
Synonyms
groggy (often after waking up or due to medication.)
|
muddled (confused thinking; ideas not organized.)
Antonyms
alert (awake and able to think clearly.)
|
clear-headed (thinking well and logically.)
Collocations
feel foggy
|foggy-headed
|mentally foggy
|a foggy feeling
|foggy from lack of sleep
|foggy with a cold
|foggy after surgery
|foggy after medication
Themes
health
|emotions
|daily_life
Examples
- I felt foggy all morning after only four hours of sleep.
- The cold medicine made her a little foggy.
- After the long meeting, everyone looked foggy and distracted.
Learner examples
- I feel foggy today.
- Coffee helps when I feel foggy.
adjective
B2
property
4
not remembered clearly
A foggy memory is a memory you cannot remember well.
Usage pattern:
a foggy memory of [something]
Synonyms
hazy (very common for unclear memories.)
|
dim (suggests a faint, weak memory.)
Antonyms
vivid (very clear and detailed in memory.)
|
clear (easy to remember accurately.)
Collocations
foggy memory
|foggy recollection
|foggy about the details
|foggy on the timeline
|foggy on what happened
Themes
memory
|daily_life
Examples
- I have a foggy memory of that trip because I was so young.
- He’s foggy about what time they left the party.
- Her recollection of the event is foggy and inconsistent.
Learner examples
- I have a foggy memory of my first teacher.
adjective
B1
property
5
covered with mist on surface
If glass is foggy, it has tiny drops on it and you cannot see clearly.
Usage pattern:
foggy [glasses/window/mirror]
Common mistake:
Foggy glass is usually from warm breath or humidity; dusty glass is dirty with dust.
Synonyms
steamed up (informal; very common for windows and mirrors.)
|
misted over (emphasizes a light film of moisture.)
Antonyms
clear (not covered with condensation; easy to see through.)
Collocations
foggy glasses
|foggy window
|foggy windshield
|foggy mirror
|foggy lens
|foggy bathroom mirror
|foggy car windows
Themes
daily_life
|weather
Examples
- My glasses went foggy when I walked into the warm room.
- The bathroom mirror was foggy after the shower.
- Wipe the foggy windshield before you drive.
Learner examples
- The window is foggy.
- My glasses are foggy.
Grammar
Dictionary form
foggy
IPA
GB/fˈɑɡi/
US/fˈɑɡi/
Syllables & stress
foggy (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (foggy)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: foggy
- Comparative: foggier
- Superlative: foggiest
Word family
Expressions
foggy as pea soup
1/fˈɑɡi ˈæz pˈi sˈup/
fixed phrase
informal
extremely foggy; very low visibility
Very, very foggy.
Examples
- It was foggy as pea soup on the bridge, so we turned back.
- The harbor was foggy as pea soup at sunrise.
foggy bottom
1/fˈɑɡi bˈɑtəm/
fixed phrase
neighborhood in Washington, D.C.
Foggy Bottom is an area in Washington, D.C.
Examples
- Their hotel is in Foggy Bottom, near the river.
- Reporters were waiting outside the State Department in Foggy Bottom.
- Officials in Foggy Bottom declined to comment.
foggy-headed
1/fˈɑɡi hˈɛdɪd/
fixed phrase
mentally unclear or confused
If you are foggy-headed, your mind feels slow and confused.
Examples
- I was foggy-headed after the overnight flight.
- She felt foggy-headed all day with the flu.
- Skipping breakfast makes me foggy-headed by mid-morning.