murkier; murkiest
1
: characterized by a heavy dimness or obscurity caused by or like that caused by overhanging fog or smoke
the murky bottom of the lake
2
: characterized by thickness and heaviness of air : foggy, misty
rain poured down from murky skiesNewsweek
3
: darkly vague or obscure
murky official rhetoric
He offered a murky explanation.
murkily adverb
murkiness noun

Examples of murky in a Sentence

She peered into one of the church's murky chapels. a politician with a murky past
Recent Examples on the Web Warren’s new urging comes at a murky time for Musk. Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024 The future of the Pac-12, however, remains murky at best, as 10 of the 12 schools will be joining other conferences in the 2024-2025 school year. Jordan Freiman, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2024 How exactly brokers secure tee times and sell them remains murky. Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2024 But plans for other ways to get around on public transit remain murky, including whether Detroit's QLINE streetcar will operate its regular route or require riders to navigate to stops farther away than normal. Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 13 Mar. 2024 The future of California’s telework compliance office is murky as many state employees — for many, much to their dismay — begin returning to their offices this month. Maya Miller, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024 The term’s origins are as murky as the motivations of a romantasy heroine’s mysterious lover. Scottie Andrew, CNN, 28 Feb. 2024 The report’s timeline of when exactly the program began to come apart is murky. Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 Australia is an exception By contrast, the picture is murkier for BYD in the U.S., where lawmakers have warned about Chinese EVs flooding the market and hurting domestic automakers. Steve Mollman, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'murky.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of murky was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near murky

Cite this Entry

“Murky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/murky. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

murky

adjective
murkier; murkiest
1
: very dark or gloomy
2
3
: difficult to understand
a murky reply designed to confuse
murkiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on murky

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