murky
Americanadjective
-
murkier,
comparative
-
murkiest
superlative
adjective
-
gloomy or dark
-
cloudy or impenetrable as with smoke or fog
Synonym Usage
See dark.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
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.
See Examples For:
Details of his career following his release are murky, but he went into the energy business, becoming what one state-run newspaper described as a "tenderpreneur" -making money by getting government contracts.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
My husband and I recently learned about an estate plan that I believe could leave him with little or none of his parents’ inheritance, while their plan for long-term care remains murky.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
The reasons for the latest delay on the $3.3-billion project are murky.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
Airlines have a lot of latitude here because the DOT definition of a downgraded fare is murky, McGee says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
He crouched against the wall, covered head to toe in thick, murky haint ichor.
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
She recorded the new album with the same team — the hit-making writer-producers Ilya Salmanzadeh and Max Martin — but here they go for a murkier, more percussive sound to match Grande’s dark mood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Yet once companies have captured the low-hanging fruit, the road forward may get murkier.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
State law is clear that people can wade, swim or boat in state-protected waters, but things get murkier out of the water.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Things can get even murkier when SPV layering is involved.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
Art and Archaeology is murkier and more velvety than last year, and filled with impasto and chiaroscuro.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
The first, “From Dystopia to Our Declaration” by Nijawwon Matthews, is the murkiest.
From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2024
HKU1 has the murkiest evolutionary history, but its genetic sequence clusters close to the murine hepatitis virus, suggesting it has a rodent origin.
From Science Magazine ● Jan. 11, 2024
So if there's anyone who can shine a light on this murkiest of stories, surely it's the leader of Belarus.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2023
Gravity-powered, the sleek stainless steel system cleans even the murkiest pond water of viruses, bacteria, pathogens and other nastiness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2018
I had seen the number on the radio in Greg’s memory only a few hours earlier, burning brightly through even the murkiest clouds of his thoughts.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
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.
