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 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 Still, the governor’s deployment comes as statistics show a murkier picture this year: Three homicides have taken place since January, and several brutal assaults, including the slashing of the conductor, have once again raised questions about safety. Ana Ley, New York Times, 6 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, via Maya Miller. Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2024 Though official numbers are a bit murky, some 20,000 foreigners from over 50 nationalities make up Ukraine’s international legion, according to Ukrainian officials. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 The word, murky in origin, likely links to Indian pulao and Persian pilau through centuries of maritime trade routes. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024 The confusing mixture of AI hype and doom-mongering means the internet’s pool of knowledge is both torrential and murky. Greg Orme, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Western toads and tree frogs thrive in the spring water that seeps from the base of an arched alcove fortified with concrete and then into a murky pond where carp cruise beneath a battered life-size rubber duck floating upside down. Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 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 19 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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