ENGLISH
REFERENCE

foggy

adj.
A2 Elementary US //ˈfɑɡi// UK //fˈɒɡi// fog·gy

adj. full of thick, low clouds that make it hard to see. You use this to describe the weather or a place where the air is white and blurry.

adj. characterised by the presence of thick mist or low-lying clouds that reduce visibility. Often used figuratively to describe a state of mental confusion or lack of clarity.


SIMPLE

It is too foggy to drive safely this morning.

CONTEXTUAL

The morning commute was delayed because the foggy conditions made it impossible for pilots to land at the local airport.

COMPLEX

The coastal road becomes dangerously foggy during the autumn months, as the warm air meets the cold sea water and creates a dense, impenetrable white wall.

Synonyms
Origin

From fog + -y, originally in the sense "covered with tall grass; marshy; thick". It is not clear whether fog (“mist”) is a back-formation from foggy (“covered with tall, obscuring grass”) or has a separate Germanic origin, and hence whether foggy (“covered with tall grass”) and foggy (“obscured by mist”) represent one word or two. See fog ("mist"; "tall grass") for more.

Usage

Often follows linking verbs like 'become', 'get', or 'stay'.

Pitfall

It was a fog dayIt was a foggy dayLearners often use the noun 'fog' as an adjective instead of the correct adjectival form 'foggy'.

© 2026 English Reference