smudgy

adjective

Definition of smudgynext
as in sooty

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of smudgy Lasting more than 10 minutes, the image begins eviscerated of scale and depth before slowly recovering a figure-ground relationship — from a smudgy surface to be contemplated to an image of a body moving through a landscape. — Matilda Hague, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026 These tones were integral to Theron’s smudgy eyeliner at the London premiere and Hathaway’s smoky eye look at the Paris premiere. — Lauren Valenti, InStyle, 17 July 2026 The processing appears slightly smudgy in some areas, and the results lack fine details. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 2 June 2026 This label maker saves you the trouble of writing out your kid’s name a million times, or dealing with smudgy permanent markers. — Cecily McAndrews, Parents, 22 May 2026 Kiko Milano Kajal also has a melty, smudgy texture that will make achieving this look a cinch. — Loren Savini, Allure, 20 May 2026 Grab Two Cloths, Not One This detail separates a smudgy wipe-down from a genuinely clear door. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Apr. 2026 Printed on the smudgy, if colorful, cheap wood-pulp paper that would give an entire genre its name, Amazing Stories first began distribution in April of 1926. — Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026 In a moment when much pop music sounds engineered for minimum friction, Ives’ smudgy postcards from the edge constitute a real revelation. — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smudgy
  1. sooty
  2. smoky
  3. milky
Adjective
  • Oily, sooty residue was all over the city.
    — Arundathi Nair, NPR, 17 Mar. 2026
  • By the closer — a grim, sooty final reckoning with the events of June 13 — the colourful escapism of the Uphaar’s Bollywood posters suddenly looks half a world away.
    — Mike McCahill, Variety, 17 Jan. 2023
Definition of sooty
Adjective
  • The focus on the eyes was conveyed through different techniques, ranging from graphic eyeliners in popping colors to glamorous smokey eyes delivered with the brand’s Stylo Contour des Yeux and finished off by L’Obscur and Le Magnétisme mascaras.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • There is always a vegetarian option, but this really is a place for ardent carnivores, who are encouraged each evening to watch as Patagonian lambs (or other regional produce) are cooked over an open fire in a smoky room by the kitchen.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of smoky
Adjective
  • This, Rostov’s main thoroughfare, wasn’t illuminated by the familiar bright glare of its many street lamps, or by light from its windows, now blacked out, but emerged from the darkness all the more gently in a milky cloak of moonlight.
    — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Dew is a sheer, milky white that Choi says instantly makes nails look fresh and polished, with a dewy finish that’s especially pretty worn on its own.
    — Amanda Le, InStyle, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of milky

Browse Nearby Words

smudging
smudgy
smug
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Cite this Entry

“Smudgy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smudgy. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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