muddy

[muhd-ee]

adjective

muddier, muddiest 

1. abounding in or covered with mud.

2. not clear or pure.

   muddy colors.

3. cloudy with sediment.

   muddy coffee.

4. dull, as the complexion.

5. not clear mentally.

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

7. 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)

muddied, muddying 

1. to make muddy; soil with mud.

2. to make turbid.

3. to cause to be confused or obscure.

verb (used without object)

muddied, muddying 

1. to become muddy.

muddy

/ ˈmʌdɪ /

adjective

1. covered or filled with mud

2. not clear or bright

   muddy colours

3. cloudy

   a muddy liquid

4. (esp of thoughts) confused or vague

verb

1. to become or cause to become muddy

Other Word Forms

• muddily adverb
• muddiness noun
• unmuddied adjective
• unmuddy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of muddy¹

First recorded in 1375–1425, muddy is from the late Middle English word muddi. See mud, -y ¹

Example Sentences

The government’s cases are sometimes so muddied that it’s unclear why agents actually arrested a citizen.

Read more on Salon

Videos on social media have emerged showing torrents of muddy water sweeping through the towns of La Ràpita and Santa Bàrbara in the Tarragona province, and moving everything in their path.

Read more on BBC

Jim Crist, 71, a volunteer, signaled the start and reminded everyone jockeying for position on a muddy slope to stay hydrated.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Your insight into these muddy waters would be greatly appreciated.

Read more on MarketWatch

It isn’t muddy pants we’re turning over to these machines; it’s our creative and cognitive labor.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• dirty 
• dull 
• filthy 
• flat 
• gloomy 
• marshy 
• sloppy 
• sodden 
• soggy 
• swampy