1
as in confusing
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
my mind had been thoroughly muddied by the long hours of exacting work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in obfuscating
to make (something) unclear to the understanding
that argument is irrelevant and will just muddy the issue we're trying to resolve
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in staining
to make dirty
forgot to take off our shoes and accidentally muddied the kitchen floor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muddying
Also muddying the outlook for an end to the crisis is uncertainty about what the United States is trying to achieve.
—
Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Also muddying the outlook for an end to the crisis is uncertainty about what the United States is trying to achieve.
—Paul Wiseman, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Also muddying the outlook for an end to the crisis is uncertainty about what the United States is trying to achieve.
—ABC News, 9 Mar. 2026
As the decades passed, their experiments escalated into increasingly absurd inquiries, muddying the boundaries between subjective and objective reality.
—Shannon Taggart, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
This may be because the nucleus accumbens, the other reward region that some participants learned to ramp up, didn’t have the same connection to immune response, muddying the results.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 19 Jan. 2026
But seen another way, this release is also optimally confusing, muddying the waters with as-yet-unverified information that’s being disseminated via individual screenshots on social media, making the whole thing easier to dismiss.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
This will prevent muddying the pieces if any color bleeding occurs while washing.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 19 Dec. 2025
When asked about the more recent changes in the color grading industry, Doyle says an entirely new market is muddying the waters.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2025
Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Also muddying the outlook for an end to the crisis is uncertainty about what the United States is trying to achieve.
—Paul Wiseman, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Also muddying the outlook for an end to the crisis is uncertainty about what the United States is trying to achieve.
—ABC News, 9 Mar. 2026
As the decades passed, their experiments escalated into increasingly absurd inquiries, muddying the boundaries between subjective and objective reality.
—Shannon Taggart, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
This may be because the nucleus accumbens, the other reward region that some participants learned to ramp up, didn’t have the same connection to immune response, muddying the results.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 19 Jan. 2026
But seen another way, this release is also optimally confusing, muddying the waters with as-yet-unverified information that’s being disseminated via individual screenshots on social media, making the whole thing easier to dismiss.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
This will prevent muddying the pieces if any color bleeding occurs while washing.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 19 Dec. 2025
When asked about the more recent changes in the color grading industry, Doyle says an entirely new market is muddying the waters.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muddying
Verb
-
That has to be confusing to the hitter.—
Eno Sarris,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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Two years later, promoters marketed confusing credits such as the Employee Retention Credit to businesses that did not qualify, collecting fees to file improper claims.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The renderings, which showed an imposing new East Wing roughly a city block long, would be longer than the West Wing and almost completely obfuscating the view of the Treasury Building from the White House's South Lawn.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Lawyers for the group contend that the city is willfully obfuscating to cover up its inadequate efforts to live up to its settlement.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Signature Round Deep Oven offers plenty of features that justify the investment, like its easy-to-clean enamel that resists chipping, dulling, and staining, a tight-fitting lid that helps circulate steam, and an ergonomic knob for effortless lifting.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Feb. 2026
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For a softer take, Kulfi Beauty’s lip staining oil in Caramel adds a warm nude sheen that feels both effortless and seasonally appropriate.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Though still fuming from his team’s baffling loss to the Bulls – the Warriors squandered an eight-point lead with 91 seconds remaining – Kerr found his composure long enough to crack a joke.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Georgia basketball’s matchup with Tennessee ended in baffling fashion Wednesday night.—
Olivia Sayer,
AJC.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Back and forth, neither of us missing, the ball blurring between us in that hypnotic rhythm that makes everything else disappear.—
Gali Kronenberg,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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His many credits include performances with the New York Philharmonic, pioneering minimalist composer Philip Glass, genre-blurring singer Cecile McLorin Salvant and such past and present jazz powerhouses as Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath and Wynton and Branford Marsalis.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With the help of your Instant Pot, spaghetti and meatballs come together in under an hour without dirtying multiple dishes.—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
24 Feb. 2026
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Keep them in reserve as a sleep sock to ward off icy toes and prevent sweat and skin oils from dirtying your down sleeping bag.—
Adam Roy,
Outside,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Told initially from his child-like perspective, the narrator reflects on a disorienting, puzzling day when his father picked him up late from school.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
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And puzzling films can triumph in the best picture race over others that have remained culturally relevant for more than half a century.—
Andrea Mandell,
USA Today,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Both are common refrains, but at the time, Hall struggled to see past the fog clouding his future.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
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The attorney general’s statement offered little clarity, further clouding an incident that has already generated significant international speculation.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muddying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muddying. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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