online vocabulary.com

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.

sooty

/ˈsʊti/ /ˈsʊti/

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.

MORE VOCABULARY LISTS