smoky

adjective

variants also smokey
Definition of smokynext
1
as in hoarse

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in sooty

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Dissimilar Words

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 smoky Skip the newish teriyaki burritos, and run, don’t walk, to the short ribs teriyaki, so smoky and tender that you might almost be tempted to bypass the chicken altogether. — Allecia Vermillion, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Nov. 2026 Rinna wore a skin-tight orange dress with hip cutouts, bright orange heels, a long dark wig, smoky eye makeup and a chunky silver cross necklace. — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026 Cream cheese adds richness, while chipotle chile brings a subtle smoky flavor. — Jasmine Thompson, Midwest Living, 26 Oct. 2026 That particular task includes an impromptu duet from Animashaun and Nash, who get up on stage — designed to resemble a smoky, basement comedy club in Soho — and serenade this very game audience. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 25 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for smoky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smoky
  1. hoarse
  2. sooty
  3. husky
  4. smudgy
  5. gruff
  6. rough
Adjective
  • His voice sounded hoarse from his marathon of back-to-back rallies ahead of Election Day.
    — Shahrzad Rasekh Patrick Cooley Mark Bonamo Kevin Williams, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Now life was like that; some days fine and firm and full of whatever, while other days the hoarse bark of the neighbors’ dog or a friend’s grim diagnosis and her body succumbed to an emotional gravity that pulled her into a free fall.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of hoarse
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
  • Gomez, who has a noticeably husky, raspy voice at times, answered a fan question about her vocal quirkiness during an Instagram Live session last December.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Her husky voice made Pugh, as an up-and-comer, seem wise beyond her years in breakout roles as a Machiavellian teenage bride in Lady Macbeth and an actor turned spy in The Little Drummer Girl.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of husky
Adjective
  • 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
Definition of smudgy
Adjective
  • The two-time Oscar winner wrote in his upcoming memoir, Look at Me, that Nichols was gruff in their interactions.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Loneliness looms as a threat to all genders, but men, who are lauded for gruff stoicism and scorned for vulnerability, can be especially ill-equipped to navigate atomization.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of gruff
Adjective
  • An Australian man survived more than two months lost at sea in 2023 with his dog Bella after rough seas damaged their boat and its electronics system.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • However, neither rating guarantees that a folding screen or hinge will survive years of rough treatment.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of rough

Browse Nearby Words

smoking out
smoky
smolder
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Smoky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smoky. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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