brackish

American  

[brak-ish] / ˈbræk ɪʃ /

adjective

1. somewhat salty or briny, as the water in an estuary or salt marsh, which is not as salty as the sea but saltier than a river.

   These brackish swamps are some of the state’s most important ecosystems.

2. distasteful; unpleasant.

   The coffee was brackish and stale.

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brackish British  

/ ˈbrækɪʃ /

adjective

1. (of water) slightly briny or salty

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brackish Scientific  

/ brăk′ĭsh /

1. Containing a mixture of seawater and fresh water. Brackish water is somewhat salty.

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Other Word Forms

• brackishness noun

Etymology

Origin of brackish

First recorded in 1550–60; from Dutch brak “salty” + -ish ¹ (in the sense “somewhat”)

Explanation

Something that is brackish is unpleasant and harsh, like the coffee you left on too long or the water in a muddy pond. The adjective brackish has roots in the Dutch word brac, meaning salty, and the word is used literally to describe water that is salty. You’ll often find brackish water in areas where salty seawater mixes with freshwater, such as "the brackish water of a Louisiana bayou." The word can be used more generally, however, to describe something that is distasteful and harsh, not just salty. When used in this way you’ll still most likely hear the term applied to liquids, such as a brackish tea that makes you wrinkle your nose when you taste it.

Example Sentences

Genetic and physical analyses confirmed that the species belongs to the genus Diplolaimelloides, a group typically found in coastal marine and brackish waters.

From Science Daily • Jan. 10, 2026

Just outside the city, it is pumping brackish groundwater from wells and discharging it into the Nueces River, which flows into a water treatment plant.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 12, 2025

Homes are crumbling, open drains line the narrow lanes and a stagnant puddle near the local temple has turned brackish.

From BBC • Aug. 10, 2025

Moreover, as I’ve written before, diverting too much freshwater before it gets to the delta to serve downstream farms and urban users allows more brackish water to infiltrate deeper into the delta.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2025

Next came Little Tilly swallowed up in his coat with salt water dripping from under it and forming a brackish pool on the floor.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith