misty

misty — adjective

1. describes weather conditions in which small drops of water hang in the air, maki

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes weather conditions in which small drops of water hang in the air, making it hard to see objects that are far away.

Example

The misty hillside disappeared from view as Ramón drove higher up the mountain.

collocation: misty hillside / misty morning describing weather

On a misty morning, the village church bells sound softer than usual.

Common collocations
  • misty morning
  • misty day
  • misty weather
  • misty conditions
  • misty air
Synonyms
  • foggy

    stronger than misty — describes air so thick with water droplets that even nearby objects are hard to see

  • hazy

    used for air that is unclear due to heat, dust, or smoke, not necessarily water droplets

  • cloudy

    describes skies covered with clouds, not ground-level mist

Antonyms
  • clear

    sky or air with no mist, fog, or haze

  • bright

    sunny weather with good visibility

Grammar Patterns

misty + noun

be + misty

Usage Note

Commonly used with time-of-day nouns: misty morning, misty dawn. Distinguish from foggy, which describes thicker, denser mist that makes it very difficult or impossible to see nearby objects.

Common Mistakes

On a misty weather, we stayed inside.
In misty weather, we stayed inside.
Use 'in' (not 'on') before weather nouns modified by an adjective.
The mountain was misty because of thick fog.
The mountain was misty because of light fog.
Misty describes light fog or fine droplets; thick fog is better described as 'foggy.'

2. describes a surface, such as a window, mirror, or pair of glasses, that has a th

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes a surface, such as a window, mirror, or pair of glasses, that has a thin layer of tiny water drops on it, which blurs whatever is behind it.

Example

Ava wiped the misty bathroom mirror with a towel after her shower.

collocation: misty mirror — surface condensation after hot water

The kitchen windows were misty from the steam of the boiling soup.

Common collocations
  • misty window
  • misty mirror
  • misty glass
  • misty lens
  • get misty
  • become misty
Synonyms
  • steamy

    stronger than misty — implies hot, visible steam, often in a bathroom or kitchen

  • fogged up

    phrasal verb meaning the same as misty surface, informal

Antonyms
  • clear

    surface with no condensation or water drops

Grammar Patterns

misty + noun

be + misty

get + misty

Usage Note

Frequently used with get or become to describe the process: 'The mirror got misty during the shower.' The subject is typically a smooth surface (glass, mirror, lens, window).

Common Mistakes

My glasses went misty when I entered the warm room.
My glasses got misty when I entered the warm room.
Use 'get misty' (not 'go misty') for surfaces becoming covered with condensation.

Word family

  • mist
    nounB1
  • mistily
    adverbC1
  • mistiness
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe reduced visibility, but they differ in cause and intensity. Misty describes fine water droplets in the air that blur distant objects while leaving nearby things clear — it is the mildest of the group. Foggy implies much thicker, denser water vapour that makes even close objects hard to see; it is stronger than misty. Hazy refers to air that is unclear due to heat, dust, smoke, or pollution rather than water droplets, and often carries a warm or dry feel. Cloudy applies to the sky rather than ground-level air: it means the sun is blocked by clouds, but visibility at ground level may still be good. For example: 'The hill was misty at dawn, but by midday it turned foggy and we could barely see the gate.' 'The sky was cloudy all afternoon, but the air stayed clear and dry.'

misty ↗foggy ↗hazycloudy ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • slightly misty
  • a bit misty
  • still misty
  • all misty

Phrases

  • get misty
  • become misty
  • look misty

Prepositions

  • misty with
  • misty from

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Misty comes from the Old English word 'mist' (meaning dimness, fog, or fine rain) combined with the suffix '-y,' which turns a noun into an adjective meaning 'full of' or 'characterized by.' The word has been used since around the 14th century to describe both weather with fine droplets in the air and, later, surfaces covered with condensation.