muddle

American  

[muhd-l] / ˈmʌd l /

verb (used with object)

muddled, muddling

1. to mix up in a confused or bungling manner; jumble.

   Synonyms:

   disorder, disarray, chaos, haze, fog, daze, mess up, bungle, botch, confuse, disorganization

2. to cause to become mentally confused.

3. to cause to become confused or stupid with or as if with an intoxicating drink.

4. to make muddy or turbid, as water.

5. 1. to mix, crush, or mash (an ingredient) into a drink, especially with a muddler.

   2. to mix or stir (a cocktail, chocolate, etc.).

6. Ceramics. to smooth (clay) by rubbing it on glass.

---

verb (used without object)

muddled, muddling

1. to behave, proceed, or think in a confused or aimless fashion or with an air of improvisation.

   Some people just muddle along, waiting for their big break.

noun

1. the state or condition of being muddled, especially a confused mental state.

2. a confused, disordered, or embarrassing condition; mess.

   Antonyms:

   order

verb phrase

1. muddle through to achieve a certain degree of success but without much skill, polish, experience, or direction.

   None of us knew much about staging a variety show, so we just had to muddle through.

muddle British  

/ ˈmʌdəl /

verb

1. (often foll by up) to mix up (objects, items, etc); jumble

2. to confuse

3. to make (water) muddy or turbulent

4. to mix or stir (alcoholic drinks, etc)

---

noun

1. a state of physical or mental confusion

Other Word Forms

• muddled
  adjective
• muddledness
  noun
• muddlement
  noun
• muddling
  adjective
• muddlingly
  adverb
• muddly
  adjective
• premuddle
  noun

Etymology

Origin of muddle

First recorded in 1540–50; mud + -le; cognate with Middle Dutch moddelen “to muddy”

Explanation

A muddle is something that's messy and confusing. If your bedroom looks like a hurricane just hit it, you might describe it as a muddle. Oftentimes, we create the muddles in our lives, so it’s appropriate that muddle can be used as a verb meaning “to mix up” or “confuse.” Conveniently, though, the word muddle also describes a way out of difficult situations; to muddle through a troublesome task is to somehow figure it out, even if you don’t quite know what you’re doing. It has been suggested that muddle comes from an old Dutch word meaning “to make muddy.”

Example Sentences

Bill Muddle from manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne is confident though that the sensor was faulty, and if it plays up again on Saturday it will likely just be ignored.

From BBC • Sep. 2, 2022

Muddle two mint leaves and two lemon slices in a cocktail shaker.

From Fox News • Nov. 27, 2021

Muddle five to six mint leaves in a glass.

From Washington Post • Apr. 30, 2020

Muddle mint leaves and sugar in the bottom of a julep cup or rocks glass until leaves begin to break up.

From Golf Digest • May 2, 2019

Muddle flies before it, and hugger-mugger becomes a thing unknown.

From Character by Smiles, Samuel

Related Words

• befuddle
• clutter
• complicate
• derange
• discombobulate
• disturb
• fluster
• perturb