muddy

[muhd-ee]

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.

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

Related Words for muddied

impenetrable, murky, cloudy, hazy, gloomy, frosty, thick, dull, dirty, blurred, seedy, threadbare, untidy, run-down, disheveled, blind, dim, darken, confuse, disguise

Examples from the Web for muddied

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
“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
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

Historical Examples of muddied

The path is not a cinder one, as I think them untidy, so I was not more than muddied.
The Wit and Humor of America, Volume X (of X)
Various
His mind was muddied by the innumerable visitors to whom he had to listen.
Democracy An American Novel
Henry Adams
And he had covered himself with a loathesome coating of muddied dust.
The Hills of Desire
Richard Aumerle Maher
He kicked the muddied snow off his boots and opened the door.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury) Cobb
They muddied the streams where he fished and drove away the game by their bellowing.
Wonder Tales from Many Lands
Katharine Pyle

British Dictionary definitions for muddied

muddy

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

muddy

adj.

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

muddy

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