murky

Sometimes mirk·y

[mur-kee]

adjective

murkier, murkiest 

1. dark, gloomy, and cheerless.

   Antonyms: cheery, bright

2. obscure or thick with mist, haze, etc., as the air.

   Synonyms: opaque, obscure, indefinite, hazy, confusing, hazy, misty, lowering, cloudy
   Antonyms: clear

3. (of liquid) not clear; cloudy with or as if with sediment.

   Antonyms: transparent, pellucid, limpid, clear

4. not clearly expressed; vague; unclear; confused.

   a murky statement.

murky

/ ˈmɜːkɪ /

adjective

1. gloomy or dark

2. cloudy or impenetrable as with smoke or fog

Other Word Forms

• murkily adverb
• murkiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of murky¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English mirky; murk, -y ¹

Synonym Study

See dark.

Example Sentences

The once clear river had turned murky and slimy, completely changing how she felt about living alongside it, she said.

Read more on BBC

No matter what happens, the fact that James didn’t reveal his intentions in his first public appearance since last spring means that this Laker season has the chance to be a murky maybe mess.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Moore’s ties to other radical organizations were murky.

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Some Indian venture capitalists and research institutes see a silver lining in this murky future.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

They feel crisper, more focused and less murky.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• cloudy 
• dark 
• dim 
• dirty 
• dismal 
• dreary 
• foggy 
• fuzzy 
• misty 
• muddy 
• nebulous 
• stormy