muggy

Muggy is an adjective used to describe air that is warm and humid to the point of discomfort. It conveys a sense of stickiness and heaviness in the atmosphere, often accompanied by little breeze or stagnant conditions. In everyday speech and weather reporting, muggy signals a subjective feeling of humidity and heat rather than a precise meteorological category.

Causes of muggy conditions typically involve warm air masses with substantial moisture content, such as air moving over warm land or near large bodies of water. When winds are light and mixing is limited, evaporation slows and the air feels unusually damp and oppressive. High humidity reduces the body's ability to cool itself through sweating, contributing to the overall sense of discomfort.

In terms of observable effects, muggy weather can affect sleep, outdoor activity, and respiration for some people. It is often associated with heat waves, tropical air masses, or after rainfall when moisture remains in the air. While muggy describes a perceptual experience, meteorologists may reference related measures such as humidity, dew point, and heat index to quantify the conditions.

Usage notes include that muggy is widely understood in English-speaking regions and is used in both casual and descriptive contexts. It does not correspond to a fixed scientific threshold, but rather communicates a common impression of warmth paired with high humidity.