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fug

fug

1 9.9
Stuffy, smoky air in a room that feels unpleasant to breathe
  • noun
  • /fʌg/
  • Literature
translation icon : atmosfera cargada
  • She opened the window to let in fresh air, easing the fug that had settled in the crowded room.

Examples

  • The stale air in the basement created a heavy fug that made it hard to breathe.

  • That's too much fug for one room.

    Blog text (25)
  • Outside, the air seemed that much cleaner and fresher after the airless fug of Albert Hall Mansions, and she felt privileged to be alive.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The ceiling over the pool was high up, some thirty or forty feet, with tall windows of opaque glass near the roofline, through which a few dim green rays of evening sunlight would sometimes penetrate to the fluorescent fug below.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • After the party, the room was filled with the fug of old beer and smoke.

Synonyms

fume
vsfug
111 5.2

A cloud of smoke or gas with a strong often harmful smell

focuses more on the general oppressive room atmosphere than on a single cloud
stale air
vsfug
2 2.8

Air that smells old and feels heavy

adds a smoky or stuffy element that makes breathing harder
effluvium
vsfug
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A bad smell of gases from decaying or chemical waste

is about a closed unpleasant indoor atmosphere rather than a waste gas stream
niff
vsfug
  • UK
1 9.9

An unpleasant strong smell that comes from old or dirty things

is the broader sense of an entire room feeling stuffy and stale
fum
vsfug
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A small puff of smoke or mist rising from something like a chimney

describes the overall slow stale or smoky atmosphere rather than a single puff
stuffiness
vsfug
1 4.1

Air in a room that feels heavy and not fresh

focuses more on a smoky or stale atmosphere rather than just ventilation
musty air
vsfug
1 4.2

Air that smells stale and damp in a closed room

is broader, including smoke or general stuffiness as well as dampness
stinkiness
vsfug
1 4.3

A strong unpleasant smell that makes people move away

is more specific to a closed smoky or stale indoor atmosphere
heavy fug
vsfug
  • Literature
9.5

Thick, stuffy, often smoky air in a room that makes breathing hard

is the general idea of a stuffy or stale room atmosphere
stuffy air
vsfug
3.2

Warm air that feels unpleasant because it does not move and has little fresh air

adds that smoke or staleness can make the atmosphere unpleasant to breathe
fustiness
vsfug
8.6

A stale, musty smell in a room or object

applies that smell specifically to an enclosed smoky or stuffy atmosphere
fust
vsfug
  • Archaic
9.9

A stale, musty smell from old wood or damp rooms

is about the whole oppressive indoor air rather than just one smell source
fumes
vsfug
4.1

Harmful gases that smell bad and come from engines or machines

refers more to a stagnant smoky atmosphere not only to emission sources
smogginess
vsfug
5.6

Dirty, smoky air that makes breathing and seeing difficult

applies to indoor stuffy smoky atmospheres and not specifically outdoor smog

Antonyms

143 1.0

Clean outdoor air that feels refreshing and healthy

30 2.7

How easy it is to see through something like clean water

Compounds

heavy fug
  • Literature
9.5

Thick, stuffy, often smoky air in a room that makes breathing hard

How Stuffy

smoke-filled
8 3.4
fug
  • Literature
1 9.9
closeness
1 6.7
stale air
2 2.8
fresh air
143 1.0

Surface Forms

fug singular
fugs plural

Etymology

Fug is easy to remember if you think of the common word fume meaning 'smoke', because both suggest bad, smoky air. So, a fug is the stuffy, stale, or smoky air in a room that makes it unpleasant to breathe.