as in ambiguity
the quality or state of having a veiled or uncertain meaning
we had trouble understanding the passage because of its murkiness
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Recent Examples of murkiness
The murkiness of Acquisition Logistics’ involvement in El Paso is hardly an exception among many of the companies profiting from the border-security gold rush.
—
Garrett M. Graff, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
There is a bit of murkiness on salaries for coaches of private schools like TCU, as USA Today’s amounts for private schools were based on schools’ most recently available financial records, which cover the 2023 calendar year.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
Petrosian’s presence revives the murkiness of Russia’s participation.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
There’s some murkiness about where the recipe originated; both baking brands White Lily and Martha White claim to have pioneered the beloved bread.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 29 Jan. 2026
Despite the murkiness of the water, Chris jumped in to swim.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
Eliza Varadi, a pediatrician in South Carolina, told me that the murkiness around insurance coverage, coupled with lower demand, has prompted her practice to start ordering COVID vaccines just one box at a time—each a batch of 10 doses—to minimize the potential for loss.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 3 Oct. 2025
The vessel was operating in international waters but that added to the murkiness of the legal justification.
—Emily Goodin, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Many technological challenges abound in the murkiness of natural language chatting.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Garrett M. Graff, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
There is a bit of murkiness on salaries for coaches of private schools like TCU, as USA Today’s amounts for private schools were based on schools’ most recently available financial records, which cover the 2023 calendar year.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
Petrosian’s presence revives the murkiness of Russia’s participation.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
There’s some murkiness about where the recipe originated; both baking brands White Lily and Martha White claim to have pioneered the beloved bread.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 29 Jan. 2026
Despite the murkiness of the water, Chris jumped in to swim.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
Eliza Varadi, a pediatrician in South Carolina, told me that the murkiness around insurance coverage, coupled with lower demand, has prompted her practice to start ordering COVID vaccines just one box at a time—each a batch of 10 doses—to minimize the potential for loss.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 3 Oct. 2025
The vessel was operating in international waters but that added to the murkiness of the legal justification.
—Emily Goodin, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Many technological challenges abound in the murkiness of natural language chatting.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for murkiness
Noun
-
There could be value in that ambiguity about his bottom line.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
-
This ambiguity is in keeping with ISIS’s strategy, which is to maximize its reach without increasing its vulnerability to disclosure or disruption.—
Juliette Kayyem,
The Atlantic,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That intrigue and mysteriousness still rest in the canyon walls today.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Murkiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/murkiness. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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