turbid

adjective

tur·bid ˈtər-bəd

Synonyms of turbid next

: thick or opaque with or as if with roiled sediment

a turbid stream

: heavy with smoke or mist

: deficient in clarity or purity : foul, muddy

turbid depths of degradation and misery—

C. I. Glicksberg

: characterized by or producing obscurity (as of mind or emotions)

an emotionally turbid response

turbidity

ˌtər-ˈbi-də-tē

noun

turbidly

ˈtər-bəd-lē

adverb

turbidness noun

Did you know?

Turbid and turgid (which means "swollen or distended" or "overblown, pompous, or bombastic") are frequently mistaken for one another, and it's no wonder. Not only do the two words differ by only a letter, they are often used in contexts where either word could fit. For example, a flooded stream can be simultaneously cloudy and swollen, and badly written prose might be both unclear and grandiloquent. Nevertheless, the distinction between these two words, however fine, is an important one for conveying exact shades of meaning, so it's a good idea to keep them straight. Turbid, like its relative turbulent, comes ultimately from the Latin noun turba, meaning "confusion" or "crowd."

Examples of turbid in a Sentence

the pond water became turbid from our swimming and splashing

Recent Examples on the Web Many of the highland reservoirs here are clear and rocky, providing a nice change of setting from turbid Mississippi River tributaries. —

Will Brantley, Field & Stream, 15 June 2023 Smith somehow manages to negotiate these oily, turbid waters with amazing grace, sure-footedness, and acuity. —

Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 4 May 2023 Streams coming straight from glaciers are cold, nutrient-poor, turbid and fast-flowing. —

Lesley Evans Ogden, Discover Magazine, 7 Apr. 2023 This experiment also helped the scientists to verify their models of the movement of the resulting turbid plumes. —

IEEE Spectrum, 21 Dec. 2021 Waterways get more turbid. —

Anchorage Daily News, 29 Apr. 2022 The satellite imagery also reveals darker material flowing out into the Gulf from land — turbid discharges from flooding caused by storm surges and overflowing rivers. —

Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 30 Sep. 2022 The semi-turbid waters of Caney Creek gurgled down from a nearby hillside. —

Rick Childress, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2022 The water is also more turbid, which prevents growing phytoplankton from receiving enough light. —

Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 30 Jan. 2010 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'turbid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.