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

Longs should use that as their downside protection level, if GM falls back into the gap things get murky. —Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025

An ongoing government shutdown means the Fed is missing key data, inflation remains stubbornly high and the labor market shows signs of cooling – all signs pointing to a murky road forward for Fed officials. —Rachel Barber, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025

The inflation situation also remains murky, Powell said. —Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025

Four years later, the Democrats’ future looks murkier than ever, and Adams’ lofty ambitions lie in ruins. —Molly Ball, Time, 29 Oct. 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