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
Assets worth at least $1 million — which includes the vast majority of real estate in San Francisco — are also grouped together, further muddying the picture.
—
Alyce McFadden, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Apr. 2026
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
Alyce McFadden, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muddying
Verb
-
Amanda Peet has had people confusing her for Lake Bell at restaurants, airports, red carpets and everywhere in between.—
Laura Lane,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
-
But online as an antidote only works if the sector stops confusing access with quality.—
Ian Gibson,
Twin Cities,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
When The Star requested records related to ATO being placed on probation last year, the outcome letter KU provided was heavily redacted, completely obfuscating the narrative of the hazing allegations that university investigators found to be credible.—
Matthew Kelly
April 6,
Kansas City Star,
6 Apr. 2026
-
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
Verb
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Once the structure is built, consider painting or staining the wood to both ensure the material's long-term integrity and enhance the overall look.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 May 2026
-
Porcelain options tend to resist staining better than other materials.—
K.H. Koehler,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As the castle’s internal order collapses under the weight of a string of baffling crimes, Araki strikes a fragile alliance with Kuroda Kanbei – a razor-minded captive languishing in his own dungeon – in a race to root out a traitor before Oda’s army closes in.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2026
-
This inversion explains a host of baffling political and cultural phenomena of late.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This is a unique move from a smartphone maker, blurring the lines between mobile device and a professional lens system.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Apr. 2026
-
His many credits include performances with the New York Philharmonic, pioneering minimalist composer Philip Glass, genre-blurring singer Cecile McLorin Salvant, drum dynamo Tyshawn Sorey and such past and present jazz sax powerhouses as Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath and Branford Marsalis.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Apr. 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
-
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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But as of last month, the FDA has twice opted not to approve RP1, puzzling researchers and worrying drug developers.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
2 May 2026
-
Alvarado, however, continued a puzzling trend.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
While the economy has remained resilient, the Iran war is clouding the outlook.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
That’s according to Brian London, president of the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART) Association, who argues that misunderstandings and misplaced priorities are clouding the reality of how textile waste is actually managed today.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muddying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muddying. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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