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

Handicapped by my seasickness and by the murky skies, I hardly ever could make my star sights work.

—Robert Shenk

3

: darkly vague or obscure

murky official rhetoric

He offered a murky explanation.

murkily

ˈmər-kə-lē 

adverb

murkiness

ˈmər-kē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of murky

• 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

But there’s no mystery to it, no blurred edges or murky, resonant spaces of uncertainty. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026

Orders can be equivocal, statements ambiguous, instructions murky. — Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026

Dick’s Sporting Goods, along with subsidiary Foot Locker, face a murky outlook for the rest of this year after lower-than-expected recent earnings reports and cut forecasts for the rest of the year. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Surgery remains possible, which makes the timetable even murkier. — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026

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