muddy

1 of 2

adjective

mud·​dy ˈmə-dē How to pronounce muddy (audio)
muddier; muddiest
1
: morally impure : base
2
a
: full of or covered with mud
b
: characteristic or suggestive of mud
a muddy flavor
muddy colors
c
: turbid with sediment
3
a
: lacking in clarity or brightness : cloudy, dull
a muddy recording
eyes muddy with sleep
b
: obscure in meaning : muddled, confused
muddy thinking
muddily adverb
muddiness noun

muddy

2 of 2

verb

muddied; muddying

transitive verb

1
2
: to soil or stain with or as if with mud
3
: to make turbid
4
: to make cloudy or dull
Phrases
muddy the waters
: to make a situation more confusing or difficult

Examples of muddy in a Sentence

Adjective please do not walk in the house with muddy boots on, as you will get the carpet dirty whether muddy or not, water taken from lakes and streams should be boiled by campers Verb The flooding muddied the roads. She muddied the color by adding some brown. muddying the line between fact and fiction The debate further muddied the issues.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Price is standing in the 10-foot deep crater, in thick, muddy water nearly up to her knees. Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2024 Tour Some fans may, however, have been disappointed in the mix, which often buried Jackson’s vocals in a muddy tidal wave of sound, although that may have had a lot to do with Nelly’s DJ having damaged every eardrum in the building with that speaker-rumbling bass. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 31 July 2024
Verb
The runners – whose t-shirts and shorts are muddied with sand and sea – splash through shallow water towards the Scottish coastal town of St Andrews, which slowly appears as a series of spires and rooftops on the horizon. George Ramsay, CNN, 19 July 2024 Reliever Jacob Webb then allowed Edwards to score on a double by left fielder Bryan De La Cruz, muddying an otherwise spectacular pitching line for Burnes. Matt Weyrich, Baltimore Sun, 25 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for muddy 

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

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of muddy was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near muddy

Cite this Entry

“Muddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muddy. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.

Kids Definition

muddy

1 of 2 adjective
mud·​dy ˈməd-ē How to pronounce muddy (audio)
muddier; muddiest
1
: filled or covered with mud
a muddy pond
muddy shoes
2
: resembling mud
a muddy color
muddy coffee
3
: not clear or bright
a muddy complexion
4
: unclear in meaning : muddled
muddy thinking
muddiness noun

muddy

2 of 2 verb
muddied; muddying
1
: to soil or stain with or as if with mud
2
: to make cloudy or dull
3
: to become or cause to become confused

More from Merriam-Webster on muddy

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