Robin Weigert

The Deadwood dirt they painted on us with powder. The air always smelled of livestock and something burning, gave a sooty, dense feel to the air. It was a mixture of odors.

American Actress

Use 'sooty' to create a strong visual of black or grey dirtiness caused by smoke or fire.

Visual Imagery

'Sooty' often implies neglect or poor maintenance, suggesting something should be cleaned.

Negative Association

In environmental discussions, 'sooty' can describe pollution, especially from coal or factories.

Environmental Context

Use 'sooty' to describe animals or birds with naturally dark, soot-like colors.

Natural Description

'Sooty' in animal descriptions doesn't have a bad connotation, unlike objects or places.

Not Always Negative

'Sooty' can metaphorically describe someone's mood as darkened by a situation.

Metaphorical Use

Describing someone as 'sooty' often implies a temporary condition that can be cleaned.

Temporary State

 and this just clogs the upper parts of the plant. Here you see a typical cucumber leaf that turned from green to black because of a black fungus, sooty mold, which is covering it.