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
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.
Rules and regulations regarding international flight cancellations are a little murky. Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 30 June 2025 Her eyes were murky green and always cast upward and to the left. Ottessa Moshfegh, New Yorker, 30 June 2025 In contrast, some other datasets for machine learning models may have murky origins. Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025 Efforts to rescue a teenager who drove off a bridge and plunged into a murky canal in southwest Florida were hampered by two dangerous obstacles: a pair of large alligators. Chris Anderson, USA Today, 26 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for murky

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Murky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/murky. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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