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boggy

boggy

2 5.6
Soft wet ground that is hard to walk on
  • adjective
  • /ˈbɔɡi/
translation icon : pantanoso
  • The fields were too boggy to walk across after the heavy rain.
  • boggy ground
  • boggy area
  • boggy patch

And amazingly, he stubbed his toe on it and pulled up through this Peaky, boggy soil.

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Examples

  • Alfred fled W deep into the marshlands of the Somerset Levels, at the time a vast area of undrained boggy wetlands.

  • "Boggy ground," Kelsey thought, and cursed Channing for leading her onto it.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The water of the bay was still; the boggy beach was dark in the shadows.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Today, many of those lakes have filled in with boggy vegetation.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Bruce Lake has begun to fill with boggy vegetation.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The Garden of Eden was a boggy swamp just south of Croydon.

  • None of these three woody species grows taller than four inches under these boggy conditions.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Alakai Swamp is thirty square miles of boggy terrain nestled in a depression of Mount Waialeale.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Above Ullapool, steep ridges burst like fins out of boggy, treeless hillsides.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Habitats in that region include sandy beaches along both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico and, farther inland, forests of longleaf pine and boggy tracts rich in carnivorous plants.

    Academic text (2010)

Synonyms

muddy
vsboggy
73 1.1

Covered in mud and hard to walk on

is about soft wet ground itself rather than general dirtiness or cover
soggy
vsboggy
17 1.9

Very wet, soft ground that is often muddy after rain

is more about ground conditions that hinder walking and building
swampy
vsboggy
8 2.9

Soft, wet ground that is difficult to walk on

is similar but stresses effects on walking and building rather than habitat
mucky
vsboggy
7 3.2

Dirty and covered in mud

focuses on soft wet ground quality and its practical difficulties
marshy
vsboggy
5 1.8

Soft wet land that often has shallow water

focuses more on ground softness and construction or walking difficulty
sloppy
vsboggy
4 1.6

Soft, wet ground that is hard to walk on

adds the idea that such ground specifically causes construction and walking problems
waterlogged
vsboggy
3 5.2

Ground that is full of water and too soft to walk on or grow plants

covers soft wet ground generally, not only saturation effects on plants
squashy
vsboggy
1 3.6

Soft and easy to crush, often wet or spongy

refers specifically to soft wet ground that hinders walking and building
sludgy
vsboggy
1 4.8

Thick, soft, and wet like mud that makes walking hard

refers specifically to soft wet ground often problematic for building
miry
vsboggy
8.4

Very muddy, soft ground that is hard to walk on

emphasizes ground that also causes problems when building on it
sloughy
vsboggy
  • US
9.9

Soft wet ground that makes walking difficult

highlights the same wet softness with extra focus on buildability issues
quaggy
vsboggy
9.8

Soft, wet ground that feels like deep mud

is more general about soft wet ground and construction difficulty

Antonyms

dry
791 1.0

Not wet or without any liquid

30 1.0

Hard and solid to the touch, not easily pressed

How Wet

waterlogged
3 5.2
soggy
17 1.9
boggy
2 5.6
moist
105 1.0
damp
11 1.0
dry
791 1.0

Surface Forms

boggy positive
boggier comparative
boggiest superlative

Morphology

boggy = bog (transparent) = bog + y

The adjective is a regular derivation from 'bog' + '-y', meaning having the qualities of a bog, which learners can infer.

Etymology

The word boggy comes from the simple word bog, which comes from an Irish word bogach meaning 'soft ground' or 'bog', and the ending -y means 'full of' or 'like'. So, boggy describes ground that is 'soft' and wet, like a bog, and often hard to walk on.