muddy

1 of 2

adjective

mud·​dy ˈmə-dē 

muddier; muddiest

1

a

: full of or covered with mud

b

: characteristic or suggestive of mud

a muddy flavor

muddy colors

c

: turbid with sediment

muddy water

2

a

: lacking in clarity or brightness : cloudy, dull

a muddy recording

eyes muddy with sleep

b

: obscure in meaning : muddled, confused entry 1

muddy thinking

3

: morally impure : base

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

see also:

muddy the waters

Synonyms of muddy

Adjective

• mucky
• slimy
• filthy
• slushy
• oozy
• sludgy
• dirty
• miry
• stained

Verb

• confuse
• baffle
• perplex
• puzzle
• bewilder
• muddle
• gravel

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

On Monday, scores of Gilda’s devotees flocked to pay homage to her at the rusted wreckage of the tour bus, now preserved as a memorial off the national highway that skirts Argentina’s muddy Paranacito River. — ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026

The floating schools were a response to a longstanding local problem of seasonal floods and impassable, muddy roads that kept children from reaching conventional schools. — Ali Asif Shawon, NPR, 5 Sep. 2026

Verb

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Tariff refunds have muddied retailers' earnings reports in recent weeks as Wall Street struggles to parse through the confusion. — Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026

Her father is also fighting as a soldier in the Ukrainian Army, further muddying things. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing muddy

• muddy the waters

Rhymes for muddy

• bloody
• buddy
• cuddy
• ruddy
• scudi
• study
• restudy
• understudy

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