muddy

[ muhd-ee ]

/ ˈmʌd i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR muddy ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, mud·di·er, mud·di·est.

abounding in or covered with mud.

not clear or pure: muddy colors.

cloudy with sediment: muddy coffee.

dull, as the complexion.

not clear mentally.

obscure or vague, as thought, expression, or literary style.

Horse Racing. denoting the condition of a track after a heavy, continuous rainfall has ceased and been completely absorbed into the surface, leaving it the consistency of thick mud.

verb (used with object), mud·died, mud·dy·ing.

to make muddy; soil with mud.

to make turbid.

to cause to be confused or obscure.

verb (used without object), mud·died, mud·dy·ing.

to become muddy.

Nearby words

muddle through, muddled, muddlehead, muddleheaded, muddler, muddy, muddy the waters, mudeye, mudfat, mudfish, mudflap

Origin of muddy

First recorded in 1375–1425, muddy is from the late Middle English word muddi. See mud, -y¹

Related formsmud·di·ly, adverbmud·di·ness, nounun·mud·died, adjectiveun·mud·dy, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for muddied

On a practical level, quidditch players are often muddied or bloodied, and sometimes both (as you can see in the film).
Why I Named My Quidditch Film Mudbloods|Farzad Sangari|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The eight marques that multiplied the overhead and muddied the value propositions of its brands have been streamlined to four.
Why Isn't GM Doing Better?|Megan McArdle|September 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
“They want to be dancing and partying,” but the storm has muddied the plot line.
Tropical Storm Isaac Sidelines Media Elite at the Republican Convention|Lauren Ashburn|August 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Whereas TARP 1.0 would have been a boon to transparency, TARP 2.0 muddied the waters badly once again.
Wall Street Whispers: Taxpayers Overpaid in Citi Bailout|William D. Cohan|December 1, 2008|DAILY BEAST

Where it had been, remained only a few forlorn and twisted posts between which the muddied water whispered softly.
Desert Conquest|A. M. Chisholm
There are no "flannelled fools" among them, but quickly there are plenty of "muddied oafs."
London's Underworld|Thomas Holmes
Of course its contents were lost, my hands and clothes were muddied and my efforts wasted; but I would not give it up yet.
The Trail of a Sourdough|May Kellogg Sullivan
It seemed air strangely thickened and soiled, as pure water may be muddied by the passage of some unclean body.
The Thing from the Lake|Eleanor M. Ingram
First there were a few dead and wounded Germans, all muddied.
Adventures of a Despatch Rider|W. H. L. Watson

British Dictionary definitions for muddied

muddy

/ (ˈmʌdɪ) /

adjective -dier or -diest

covered or filled with mud

not clear or brightmuddy colours

cloudya muddy liquid

(esp of thoughts) confused or vague

verb -dies, -dying or -died

to become or cause to become muddy

Derived Formsmuddily, adverbmuddiness, 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 muddied (1 of 2)

muddy

adj.

late 13c., from mud + -y (2). Big Muddy in reference to the Missouri or Mississippi rivers is first recorded 1825.

Word Origin and History for muddied (1 of 2)

muddy

"to make muddy," c.1600, from muddy (adj.). Related: Muddied; muddying.

muddy

adjective, mud·di·er, mud·di·est.

verb (used with object), mud·died, mud·dy·ing.

verb (used without object), mud·died, mud·dy·ing.

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Nearby words

Origin of muddy

Examples from the Web for muddied

British Dictionary definitions for muddied

muddy

adjective -dier or -diest

verb -dies, -dying or -died

Word Origin and History for muddied (1 of 2)

muddy

Word Origin and History for muddied (1 of 2)

muddy