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
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As if that wasn’t confusing enough, not all Christians agree on what day of the calendar that specific Sunday is.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
4 Apr. 2026
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However, following the path of Artemis II may be confusing as the astronauts, mission control and others use confusing jargon and phrases.—
ByMary Kekatos,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 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
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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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There are a few options to deal with old brickwork, including cleaning and repairing the brick, painting or staining the brick, or even installing new siding or stucco over the brick.—
Timothy Dale,
The Spruce,
13 Mar. 2026
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Sealing your grout is a great way to prevent further staining and using a steam cleaner or steam mop can help to lift the stains.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This inversion explains a host of baffling political and cultural phenomena of late.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
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The steel pipe's unexpected growth spurt was reported to police early Wednesday by a pedestrian who saw broken pieces of asphalt falling from the cylinder, baffling people passing by and causing traffic congestion.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Instead, lighter colors act as a visual blurring agent.—
Andrea Carbajal,
Glamour,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Formed in Southern California in 2011, the group built its following on a genre-blurring sound that mixes alternative rock, indie pop and hip-hop influences, anchored by frontman Jesse Rutherford’s brooding vocals.—
Travis Pinson,
Dallas Morning News,
26 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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Colorado’s puzzling 8-6 loss to woebegone Vancouver this past Wednesday was the Avs’ sixth game dressed as the Quebec Nordiques, and they’re now dropped three straight games while going retro — including two straight in regulation.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
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Given its history, Larkin might seem a puzzling choice to partner with a state agency charged with protecting elders who cannot care for themselves.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Elevated oil prices are fueling both inflation concerns and recessionary fears, thereby clouding the outlook for monetary policy trajectories.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
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Oil prices have surged this month, raising concerns about energy inflation, clouding the outlook for central banks and posing headwinds for stocks.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muddying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muddying. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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