smoky

IPA/ˈsməʊki/
KK[smˈoki]IPA/ˈsməʊki/

smoky — adjective

  • smokypositive
  • smokiercomparative
  • smokiestsuperlative

1. A smoky place has smoke in the air, usually because of a fire, a burning object,

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

A smoky place has smoke in the air, usually because of a fire, a burning object, or someone smoking.

Example

Asher walked into a smoky kitchen where the toast had burned.

smoky + noun (kitchen) — describing a room affected by smoke

The old pub was so smoky that Yumi's eyes began to water.

so smoky that... — result clause showing intensity

Common collocations
  • smoky room
  • smoky bar
  • smoky kitchen
  • smoky air
  • smoky atmosphere
  • smoky building
Synonyms
  • hazy

    less specific than smoky — hazy air can come from smoke, mist, or dust; smoky almost always involves fire or burning

  • sooty

    more specific — sooty surfaces are covered with black carbon residue from smoke, whereas smoky describes the air itself

  • foggy

    different cause — foggy means thick with water vapour, not smoke

Antonyms
  • airy

    a space that is open and lets fresh air circulate freely

  • fresh

    clean, pure air with no smoke or other pollutants

Usage Note

Most often describes indoor spaces affected by cigarettes, cooking fires, or wildfires. Frequently carries a negative connotation of discomfort or poor air quality.

Common Mistakes

The room was smoky with fog this morning.
The room was foggy this morning.
smoky refers specifically to smoke from burning, not to mist or water vapour.

2. Something that is smoky has a taste, smell, or colour that is similar to smoke,

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

Something that is smoky has a taste, smell, or colour that is similar to smoke, such as the flavour of grilled food or a greyish paint.

Example

Beatriz enjoyed the smoky flavour of the grilled cheese on her pizza.

smoky + flavour — food taste resembling smoke

The tea had a smoky aroma that reminded Élise of a campfire in the mountains.

smoky + aroma — describing a drink scent

Common collocations
  • smoky flavour
  • smoky taste
  • smoky aroma
  • smoky scent
  • smoky grey
  • smoky blue
  • smoky notes
Synonyms
  • smoked

    different meaning — smoked food has been deliberately treated with smoke for preservation or flavour; smoky describes a resemblance in taste or smell regardless of how it was produced

  • peaty

    narrower — only used for whisky and describes flavour from peat fire; smoky covers a wider range of foods and drinks

  • charred

    different — charred means burned on the surface, while smoky is about the smell or flavour resemblance, not burning

Antonyms
  • unsmoked

    describes food that has not been treated with smoke, like unsmoked bacon

  • mild

    a gentle flavour without the strong, bold character of smoke

Usage Note

Most frequent in descriptions of food and drink (whisky, cheese, grilled meat, tea) or colours (grey tones with a hint of blue or black). The flavour use is more common than the colour use.

Common Mistakes

The fish tasted smoky because it had gone bad.
The fish tasted smoky because it was cooked over wood chips.
smoky as a flavour describes a pleasant or intentional resemblance to smoke, not spoilage or contamination.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Smoky, hazy, foggy, and sooty all describe poor air or reduced visibility, but each has a distinct cause and connotation. Smoky specifically means the air contains smoke from something burning — a cigarette, a fire, or cooking — and often implies an unpleasant or thick quality that irritates the eyes or throat. Hazy is broader: haze can come from smoke, dust, or humidity, and it does not always carry a negative feeling. Foggy is limited to weather conditions where the air is thick with tiny water droplets, not smoke particles. Sooty, meanwhile, focuses on the physical residue left by smoke — a sooty chimney or sooty windows are covered in black carbon dust. In everyday use, the most common contrast is between smoky (from burning) and hazy (from any airborne particles). For example: 'The smoky room made Asher cough' versus 'The mountain view was hazy in the summer heat.'

hazy ↗foggy ↗sooty ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • very smoky
  • extremely smoky
  • slightly smoky
  • still smoky
  • pleasantly smoky

Prepositions

  • smoky with (cigarette smoke, incense)

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Smoky comes from Old English smoca (meaning 'smoke, vapour from burning') plus the adjective suffix -ig, which became modern -y. The noun smoke traces back to the Proto-Germanic root *smukkaz, related to the idea of vapour or fume rising from a fire. By the 1300s, smoky was already being used to describe places filled with smoke and, later, anything that resembles smoke in flavour, smell, or colour.