Haze Is Dry Particles, Mist Is Water
Haze is a slight obscurity in the air. What distinguishes it from mist is what the air is holding.
Haze is a slight obscurity in the air that softens distant objects. Meteorologists separate it from mist and fog by what is suspended: haze is dry particles such as dust, smoke or pollution, while mist and fog are water droplets. Haze also tends to make distant objects look yellowish or bluish, where mist makes them simply grey. Mist becomes fog when visibility falls below one kilometre, a threshold fixed by international agreement.
- Airborne particles. *A summer haze.*
- Mental confusion. *A haze of tiredness.*
- Mist — water droplets. *Mist.*
- Fog — below one kilometre visibility. *Fog.*
- From the 1700s. *Origin uncertain.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | haze | Haze. |
| Adjective | hazy | Hazy. |
| Verb | haze | Hazing. |
| Related | mist | Mist. |
| Related | fog | Fog. |
- Haze hung over the city.Air.
- My memory of it is hazy.Figurative.
- Mist is water, haze is dust.Distinction.
Haze, mist and fog
- Haze — dry particles such as dust or smoke
- Mist — water droplets, visibility above one kilometre
- Fog — water droplets, visibility below one kilometre
- The fog threshold is set by international convention
- Haze tends to tint distant objects, mist merely greys them
Recorded from the 1700s, of uncertain origin, possibly a back-formation from *hazy*.
What is the difference between haze and mist?
Haze is dry particles such as dust or smoke. Mist is suspended water droplets.
When does mist become fog?
When visibility falls below one kilometre, a threshold set by international meteorological convention.