fuzzy

English

Etymology

Uncertain. Apparently from fuzz +‎ -y, though some sources suggest that fuzz derives from fuzzy. Compare fozy, or Low German fussig (“loose; spongy”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfʌzi/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌzi

Adjective

fuzzy (comparative fuzzier, superlative fuzziest)

1. Covered with fuzz or a large number of tiny loose fibres like a carpet or many stuffed animals
2. Vague or imprecise.

   Synonyms: ambiguous, equivocal; see also Thesaurus:vague

   My recollection of that event is fuzzy.

   • 2014, Didier J. Dubois, Readings in Fuzzy Sets for Intelligent Systems, page 85:

     In particular, a very crisp quantifier such as “for all,” “there exists,” “at least 50 percent” tend to have less disperse weighting vectors while fuzzier quantifiers such as many tend to have a more disperse weighting vector.

   • 2017 November 3, Rochelle Sharpe, “Are You First Gen? Depends on Who’s Asking”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     Trying to help a high school senior get into his dream school, Laurie Kopp Weingarten called the college to emphasize that the boy should be able to lay claim to the latest, and fuzziest, of all admissions hooks: being a first-generation student.

3. Not clear; unfocused.

   Synonyms: blurry, ill-defined; see also Thesaurus:indistinct

   I finally threw out a large stack of fuzzy photos.

4. (computing theory) Employing or relating to fuzzy logic.

Derived terms

• fuzzily
• fuzziness
• fuzzy-ball
• fuzzy concept
• fuzzy control
• fuzzy controller
• fuzzy dark matter
• fuzzy dice
• fuzzy die
• fuzzy duck
• fuzzy end of the lollipop
• fuzzy-headed
• fuzzyism
• fuzzy logic
• fuzzy math
• fuzzy mathematics
• fuzzy measure
• fuzzy melon
• fuzzy-minded
• fuzzy navel
• fuzzy relation
• fuzzy set
• fuzzy-wuzzy
• fuzzy wuzzy
• L-fuzzy

 

Translations

covered with fuzz or loose fibres

• Bulgarian: мъхест (bg) (mǎhest), мъхнат (bg) (mǎhnat)
• Catalan: arrissat (ca), borrós
• Danish: dunet, håret
• Esperanto: vila (eo)
• Finnish: nukkainen (fi)
• German: fusselig, flauschig (de)
• Greek: χνουδωτός (el) m (chnoudotós)
• Hungarian: szőrmók (hu), bolyhos (hu)
• Macedonian: вла́сест (vlásest)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: lodden, ullen (no)

  Nynorsk: loden, ullen

• Portuguese: felpudo (pt)
• Russian: пуши́стый (ru) (pušístyj)

vague or imprecise

• Bulgarian: неясен (bg) (nejasen)
• Catalan: borrós
• Danish: uklar, tåget, vag (da)
• Finnish: epäselvä (fi), sekava (fi)
• French: flou (fr), confus (fr)
• German: vage (de), ungenau (de)
• Greek: ασαφής (el) m (asafís), θαμπός (el) m (thampós), θολός (el) (tholós)
• Hungarian: homályos (hu), pontatlan (hu), zavaros (hu)
• Irish: neamhbheacht
• Macedonian: ма́тен (máten), ма́глив (mágliv), не́јасен (néjasen)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ullen (no), uklar (no)

  Nynorsk: ullen, uklar, uklår

• Polish: rozmyty m, nieścisły m
• Portuguese: vago (pt), impreciso (pt)
• Russian: нечёткий (ru) (nečótkij)
• Spanish: impreciso (es)
• Swedish: luddig (sv), dimmig (sv)
• Yoruba: bọrọgidi

not clear; unfocused

• Bulgarian: неясен (bg) (nejasen), размазан (bg) (razmazan)
• Catalan: borrós
• Danish: sløret, uklar, udvisket
• Finnish: epäselvä (fi), samea (fi), sumea (fi)
• French: flou (fr)
• German: verschwommen (de), unscharf (de), diffus (de)
• Greek: θαμπός (el) m (thampós), συγκεχυμένος (el) m (sygkechyménos), θολός (el) m (tholós)
• Hungarian: elmosódott (hu), homályos (hu)
• Macedonian: не́јасен (néjasen)
• Maori: makaro, pōrehurehu, pūrehurehu
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: uklar (no)

  Nynorsk: uklar, uklår

• Polish: rozmyty m
• Portuguese: desfocado
• Russian: нерезкий (ru) (nerezkij)
• Swedish: suddig (sv), otydlig (sv)
• Yoruba: bàìbàì

Noun

fuzzy (plural fuzzies)

1. (often in the plural) A very small piece of plush material such as lint.

   You've got a fuzzy on your coat.

2. Something covered with fuzz or hair, as an animal or plush toy.
   • 2000, Kim Schilling, Ferrets for Dummies, New York: Wiley, →ISBN, page 1:

     If you don't yet have a ferret, this book can help you decide whether a fuzzy is for you.

3. (slang) A person, especially a college student, interested in humanities or social sciences, as opposed to one interested in mathematics, science, or engineering.
   • 2010, Donald Barr, Questioning the Premedical Paradigm […] , Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, →ISBN, page 2:

     A "fuzzy" on the other hand is a "people person," — someone who prefers studying the humanities or social sciences, someone who sees the world in broad contextual terms.

   • 2017, Scott Hartley, The Fuzzy and the Techie […] ‎^[2], Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN:

     If you majored in the humanities or social sciences, you were a fuzzy, and if you majored in engineering or computer science, you were a techie.

4. (slang, military) A soldier with the rank of private.
5. (slang) A police officer.

Derived terms

• warm fuzzy

References

• fuzzy, adj. Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.
• fuzzy. Frederick C. Mish (Editor in Chief), Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition. Merriam-Webster, 1994. →OCLC
• “fuzzy n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present