muddy

1 of 2

adjective

mud·​dy ˈmə-dē 

muddier; muddiest

1

: morally impure : base

2

a

: full of or covered with mud

b

: characteristic or suggestive of mud

a muddy flavor

muddy colors

c

: turbid with sediment

3

a

: lacking in clarity or brightness : cloudy, dull

a muddy recording

eyes muddy with sleep

b

: obscure in meaning : muddled, confused

muddy thinking

muddily

ˈmə-də-lē 

adverb

muddiness

ˈmə-dē-nəs 

noun

muddy

2 of 2

verb

muddied; muddying

transitive verb

1

: confuse

2

: to soil or stain with or as if with mud

3

: to make turbid

4

: to make cloudy or dull

Phrases

muddy the waters

: to make a situation more confusing or difficult

Synonyms

Adjective

• miry
• mucky
• oozy
• slimy
• sludgy
• slushy

Verb

• addle
• baffle
• bamboozle
• beat
• befog
• befuddle
• bemuse
• bewilder
• buffalo
• confound
• confuse
• discombobulate
• disorient
• flummox
• fox
• fuddle
• get
• gravel
• maze
• muddle
• mystify
• perplex
• pose
• puzzle
• vex

Examples of muddy in a Sentence

Adjective

please do not walk in the house with muddy boots on, as you will get the carpet dirty

whether muddy or not, water taken from lakes and streams should be boiled by campers

Verb

The flooding muddied the roads.

She muddied the color by adding some brown.

muddying the line between fact and fiction

The debate further muddied the issues.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In front of them, there’s a massive number 40 carved deep into a field, creating a dirty, muddy obstacle course. —Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024

Being elevated adds a layer of comfort and peace of mind – no worrying about uneven terrain, muddy ground or things creeping in during the night. —Fergus Scholes, theweek, 6 Nov. 2024

Verb

This is the kind of honest, human moment that the average political documentary might resist, for fear of muddying an otherwise clear-eyed perspective, or even showing the filmmakers themselves having conflicted feelings, especially towards each other. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024

Those conspiracy theories, parroted by Donald Trump and other high-profile Republicans, have muddied the zone and hampered relief efforts. —Tess Owen, WIRED, 8 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing muddy

• muddy the waters

Kids Definition

muddy

1 of 2 adjective

mud·​dy ˈməd-ē 

muddier; muddiest

1

: filled or covered with mud

a muddy pond

muddy shoes

2

: resembling mud

a muddy color

muddy coffee

3

: not clear or bright

a muddy complexion

4

: unclear in meaning : muddled

muddy thinking

muddiness noun

muddy

2 of 2 verb

muddied; muddying

1

: to soil or stain with or as if with mud

2

: to make cloudy or dull

3

: to become or cause to become confused