murky

American  

[mur-kee] / ˈmɜr ki /

Sometimes mirky

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.

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murky British  

/ ˈmɜːkɪ /

adjective

1. gloomy or dark

2. cloudy or impenetrable as with smoke or fog

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Related Words

See dark.

Other Word Forms

• murkily adverb
• murkiness noun

Etymology

Origin of murky

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

Example Sentences

The price of oil remains elevated, despite peace talk reports, which suggests that issues around the control of the Strait of Hormuz remain murky at best.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

The sheer volume of aircraft, missiles and drones makes for a historically murky combination in the sky.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

"Also, we have corporate sanctioned mobile devices and this came in via his personal phone. So that made him think this was potentially a little murky, a little fishy."

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

In a somewhat murky turn of events, OpenAI quickly then announced that it had struck a new relationship with the U.S. government to deploy the company’s models for classified uses.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 1, 2026

The murky smell of incense and ramen noodles at the landing meant Timothy Boyd was home and trying to cook.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older

Related Words

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