cloudy

[klou-dee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cloudy ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, cloud·i·er, cloud·i·est.

full of or overcast by clouds: a cloudy sky.

having little or no sunshine: a cloudy but rainless day.

of or like a cloud or clouds; pertaining to clouds.

having cloudlike markings: cloudy marble.

not clear or transparent: He could not see through the cloudy liquid.

obscure; indistinct.

darkened by gloom, trouble, etc.

under suspicion, disgrace, etc.: a gambler with a cloudy reputation.

Origin of cloudy

before 900; Middle English cloudi, Old English clūdig rocky, hilly. See cloud, -y¹

Related formscloud·i·ly, adverbcloud·i·ness, nounun·cloud·y, adjective

Synonyms for cloudy

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cloudy ON THESAURUS.COM

1, 2. murky, lowering, shadowy, gloomy, depressing. 5. murky, turbid, muddy, opaque, shadowy. 6. dim, blurred, shadowy, unclear, befogged, muddled, confused. 7. gloomy, lowering. 8. shadowy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for cloudiness

obscurity, uncertainty, murkiness, obscureness, ambiguity, ambiguousness

Examples from the Web for cloudiness

Contemporary Examples of cloudiness

It was not just that the sun was shining brilliantly in a place infamous for its cloudiness.
The Battle for LGBT Equality Isn’t Over Yet
Gene Robinson
May 25, 2014

Historical Examples of cloudiness

She loved him with too clear a vision to fear his cloudiness.
Howards End
E. M. Forster
There is not the least cloudiness about Mr. Mozley's meaning here.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2
John Tyndall
Bacteria produce a cloudiness which will not clear upon filtration.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis
James Campbell Todd
Rainfall, moisture, and cloudiness are most important in growing pears.
The Pears of New York
U. P. Hedrick
The degree of cloudiness gives an idea of the amount of oil present.
Detection of the Common Food Adulterants
Edwin M. Bruce

British Dictionary definitions for cloudiness

cloudy

adjective cloudier or cloudiest

covered with cloud or clouds

of or like a cloud or clouds

streaked or mottled like a cloud

opaque or muddy

obscure or unclear

troubled by gloom or depressionhis face had a cloudy expression

Derived Formscloudily, adverbcloudiness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cloudiness

cloudy

adj.

Old English cludig "rocky, hilly, full of cliffs;" see cloud (n.). Meaning "of the nature of clouds" is recorded from c.1300; meaning "full of clouds" is late 14c.; that of "not clear" is from 1580s. Figurative sense of "gloomy" is late 14c. Related: Cloudiness; cloudily.