Sooty - Meaning, Definition & English Examples
Sooty means covered in or colored by soot, a black powdery substance from burning. It describes something dirty or darkened, like a chimney or a firefighter’s gear after a blaze.
Definition:
Covered with or blackened by soot; dark or dirty from smoke or grime.
Synonyms:
Blackened, grimy, smoky, dirty, smudged
Part of Speech:
Adjective
Antonyms:
Clean, spotless
Common Collocations:
Sooty chimney, sooty walls, sooty air, sooty residue
Derivatives:
Sootiness, sootily
Usage Tips:
Use "sooty" to describe surfaces darkened by smoke or dirt, often in industrial or fire-related contexts.
Common Phrases:
Sooty owl, sooty mold, sooty tern
Etymology:
Derived from Old English "sōt," meaning black particles from combustion; related to Dutch "zoot" and German "Sott."
Examples:
- 1. The fireplace left a sooty mark on the wall.
- 2. His hands were sooty after cleaning the chimney.
- 3. The old lamp cast a dim, sooty glow in the room.
- 4. Birds avoid nesting in the factory's sooty vents.