murky

adjective

ˈmər-kē 

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 skies

—Newsweek

3

: darkly vague or obscure

murky official rhetoric

He offered a murky explanation.

murkily

ˈmər-kə-lē 

adverb

murkiness

ˈmər-kē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• darkened
• dark

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

Anton and his second wife adopted Jean sometime during the Depression, but the details are murky. —Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 14 July 2025

While the Celtics have made a couple of small additions, the future is still a bit murky. —Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 July 2025

Also murky are the new tariff rules surrounding transshipment. —Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 10 July 2025

Ortega predicted those changes would come down disproportionately hard on affordable housing, but some developers foresee even tougher times ahead for all types of development in distressed areas like downtown St. Paul in particular, in an era where the road already was murky. —Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 9 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing murky

• murky waters

Rhymes for murky

• jerky
• perky
• quirky
• turki

Kids Definition

murky

adjective

ˈmər-kē 

murkier; murkiest

1

: very dark or gloomy

2

: foggy sense 1, misty

3

: difficult to understand

a murky reply designed to confuse

murkiness noun