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Turbid and turgid (which means "swollen or distended" or "overblown, pompous, or bombastic") are frequently mistaken for one another, and it's no wonder. Not only do the two words differ by only a letter, they are often used in contexts where either word could fit. For example, a flooded stream can be simultaneously cloudy and swollen, and badly written prose might be both unclear (another sense of turbid) and grandiloquent. Nevertheless, the distinction between these two words, however fine, is an important one for conveying exact shades of meaning, so it's a good idea to keep them straight. Turbid, like its relative turbulent, comes ultimately from the Latin noun turba, meaning "confusion" or "crowd," while turgid comes from the Latin verb turgēre, "to be swollen."
Examples of turbid in a Sentence
Erik Vance, Scientific American, 1 Aug. 2017
Although the turbid water might look ugly, restoration advocates and tribal leaders see it as a sign of healing.
—Michael Charboneau, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
On certain days the turbid water is only knee-deep.
—Arelis R. Hernández, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024
These tiny freshwater fish are found in turbid low altitude streams on the southern and eastern slopes of the Pegu Ran mountain range in Myanmar.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for turbid 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'turbid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near turbid
Cite this Entry
“Turbid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turbid. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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turbid
adjective
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