murky
Americanadjective
-
gloomy or dark
-
cloudy or impenetrable as with smoke or fog
Related Words
See dark.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of murky
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English mirky; see origin at murk, -y 1
Explanation
Something that's murky is dim, gloomy or hard to see through clearly. Think of the dark fog around a haunted house or the cloudy, muddy water in a swamp. Rarely used before the 17th century, this adjective came about by adding a "y" to the word murk. Murk itself evolved from myrkr, a Norse word for "darkness.” Things that are murky are unclear; that goes for murky, sediment-filled lakes, shady business deals, and arguments that don't seem to make any sense.
Vocabulary lists containing murky
The Diary of Anne Frank
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"The Ravine," Vocabulary from the short story
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List 10
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Justice Department staff saw murky drinking water come out of the tap in the women’s housing unit.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
Mick Mulroy, a former assistant undersecretary of defence for the Middle East at the Pentagon, said any link between pausing Project Freedom and a possible peace deal remains murky.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
The sequel’s tone is starkly different from the original film; it’s far less of an evergreen fashion fantasy than a timely drama, charting a course through the media and art world’s murky futures.
From Salon • May 6, 2026
The demarcation of what counts as misfortune on such sites is arbitrary, murky and movable, ultimately guaranteeing proxy bets that skirt regulatory requirements.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
In a camp beside a big river that thrashes thrashes before me, deep and murky.
From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
