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
muddied; muddying
1
: confuse
2
: to soil or stain with or as if with mud
3
: to make turbid
4
: to make cloudy or dull
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
Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Behind us the muddy brown waters of the Tchoutacabouffa River roll towards what until recently was commonly understood to be the Gulf of Mexico.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 23 Oct. 2025
And rather than clarify the path forward a year after Joe Biden’s aborted re-election bid, the clash may further muddy Democrats’ messaging heading into next year’s midterm elections.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muddy
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Adjective
In tandem came the flagging energy, muddy cognition, clogged chi.
—Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Behind us the muddy brown waters of the Tchoutacabouffa River roll towards what until recently was commonly understood to be the Gulf of Mexico.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
The politicization of such matters has only served to muddy the waters, as those affected by controversy argue that political foes have often abandoned nuance in favor of weaponizing scandals to further a partisan agenda.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 23 Oct. 2025
And rather than clarify the path forward a year after Joe Biden’s aborted re-election bid, the clash may further muddy Democrats’ messaging heading into next year’s midterm elections.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muddy
Cite this Entry
“Muddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muddy. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
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
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