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

So the show didn’t shy away from getting bloody, dark, murky, with plenty of curse words here and there. —Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026

Economists disagree about whether the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz will ultimately drive the world's economy into a downturn, in part because the duration of the waterway's effective closure remains murky. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026

The prospects for Washington-Tehran peace talks remained murky, amplifying questions over oil and gas supplies worldwide. —Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 22 Apr. 2026

Sheinbaum said the federal government is still investigating a potential violation of national security laws in the still-murky incident. —CBS News, 22 Apr. 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