muddy

1 of 2

adjective

mud·​dy ˈmə-dē How to pronounce muddy (audio)
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
muddy thinking
3
: morally impure : base
muddily adverb
muddiness noun

muddy

2 of 2

verb

muddied; muddying

transitive verb

1
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Many of the town’s colorful homes, historical buildings and lush greenery have been reduced to piles of rubble that litter the now-muddy ground. Devon Sayers, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025 Ten years ago, while using GPS and weather-monitoring equipment, researchers developed a theory that a combination of ice, sunlight, rain, and high winds creates a scenario where the stones could feasibly be pushed across the firm but muddy surface of the former lake. Graham Averill, Outside, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
Beijing would be relieved that the United States is no longer muddying and in fact strengthening its nonsupport for independence. Stephen Wertheim, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2025 Ever since the days before flatscreens, televisions have shipped with underpowered speakers that muddy every sound from dialogue to sound effects. Bestreviews, Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for muddy

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of muddy was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Muddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muddy. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

muddy

1 of 2 adjective
mud·​dy ˈməd-ē How to pronounce muddy (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on muddy

Last Updated: - Definition revised
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