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

The two groups meet on a muddy basketball court, and fight. —Kayti Burt, Time, 26 Apr. 2025

She’s worn her pair over muddy trails, through waterfalls, and more. —Sara Coughlin, SELF, 24 Apr. 2025

Verb

Those waters were muddied last year when the U.S. Supreme Court rendered an opinion in favor of the former mayor of Portage, Indiana, James Snyder, who challenged his case by arguing the anti-corruption law under which he was convicted is vague. —Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 23 Apr. 2025

And now that the industry has muddied the definition of QLED, some are calling for a cohesive agreement on what a QD TV really is. —ArsTechnica, 31 Mar. 2025

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

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