Word forms: comparative muddier, superlative muddiest, 3rd person singular presenttense muddies, present participle muddying, past tense, past participle muddied
1. adjective
Something that is muddy contains mud or is covered in mud.
...a muddy track.
The ground was still very muddy.
...his muddy boots.
Synonyms: boggy, swampy, marshy, miry More Synonyms of muddy
2. verb
If you muddy something, you cause it to be muddy.
The ground still smelled of rain and they muddied their shoes. [VERB noun]
His new grey jacket was torn and muddied. [VERB-ed]
3. graded adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Muddy is used to describe a colour which is dull and brownish.
The paper has turned a muddy colour.
Synonyms: dull, flat, blurred, unclear More Synonyms of muddy
4. verb
If someone or something muddies a situation or issue, they cause it to seem less clear and less easy to understand.
It's difficult enough without muddying the issue with religion. [VERB noun]
...the mixed motives that muddied Mr Crane's efforts. [VERB noun]
muddiedadjective
Overseas, the legal issues are more muddied.
See muddy the waters
More Synonyms of muddy
muddy in British English
(ˈmʌdɪ)
adjectiveWord forms: -dier or -diest
1.
covered or filled with mud
2.
not clear or bright
muddy colours
3.
cloudy
a muddy liquid
4.
(esp of thoughts) confused or vague
verbWord forms: -dies, -dying or -died
5.
to become or cause to become muddy
Derived forms
muddily (ˈmuddily)
adverb
muddiness (ˈmuddiness)
noun
muddy in American English
(ˈmʌdi)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈmuddier or ˈmuddiest
1.
full of or spattered with mud
2.
a.
not clear; containing sediment; cloudy
muddy coffee
b.
not light or bright; dull
a muddy complexion
3.
confused, obscure, vague, etc.
muddy thinking
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈmuddied or ˈmuddying
4.
to make or become muddy
Derived forms
muddily (ˈmuddily)
adverb
muddiness (ˈmuddiness)
noun
More idioms containing
muddy
muddy the waters
Examples of 'muddy' in a sentence
muddy
These places need careful vetting before they spend their hard-earned cash to visit a muddy field.
The Sun (2016)
I don't like it if people get in with muddy boots.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
We left the main road and joined a muddy track that led up towards the villages.
Marsden, Philip The Crossing-Place (1993)
Where would he put his muddy boots?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Inside the mine the ground is muddy and damp.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Rally cars look spectacular being thrown sideways on muddy forest tracks.
The Sun (2008)
The farmers had been afraid to step on the expensive carpet in their muddy boots.
Christianity Today (2000)
It will get you out of a muddy school field and keep you moving in winter.
The Sun (2015)
He is still wearing his muddy boots.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
She knelt down before her as soon as she saw her seat herself to take off her muddy boots.
Frances Hodgson Burnett Emily Fox-Seton (1901)
That summer there hadn't been much rain and the pools had become muddy.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Those that could slept in tents and makeshift huts; others slept rough on the muddy ground.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Pass bird hide on right, through car park and take wide muddy track on far side.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
With the seasonal rains only just ending, the open field soon turned muddy underfoot.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
At last we were on the road, driving cross country on muddy tracks.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
So it is a translation of a translation of a translation; and it all becomes a bit muddy and confused.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Stir into the mix the counterfeit cartridges that crop up from time to time and the printer's ink can become very muddy indeed.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
So after a shuffle I drop to the muddy ground to show him my mettle.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
As anybody who has seen converted 3D movies knows, they can look dull and muddy.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
In other languages
muddy
British English: muddy /ˈmʌdɪ/ ADJECTIVE
Something that is muddy contains, or is covered in, mud.
...his muddy boots.
American English: muddy
Arabic: مُوَحِلٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: enlameado
Chinese: 泥泞的
Croatian: blatan
Czech: zablácený
Danish: mudret
Dutch: modderig
European Spanish: embarrado
Finnish: mutainen
French: boueux
German: matschig
Greek: λασπωμένος
Italian: fangoso
Japanese: 泥だらけの
Korean: 질척질척한
Norwegian: sølete
Polish: zabłocony
European Portuguese: enlameado
Romanian: noroios
Russian: грязный
Latin American Spanish: embarrado
Swedish: lerig
Thai: เต็มไปด้วยโคลน
Turkish: çamurlu
Ukrainian: брудний
Vietnamese: vấy bùn
British English: muddy VERB
If you muddy something, you cause it to be muddy.
The ground still smelled of rain, and they muddied their shoes.
American English: muddy
Brazilian Portuguese: enlamaçar
Chinese: 使沾上泥巴
European Spanish: manchar de barro
French: couvrir de boue
German: schmutzig machen
Italian: infangare
Japanese: 泥だらけにする
Korean: 진흙으로 더럽히다
European Portuguese: enlamear
Latin American Spanish: embarrar
Chinese translation of 'muddy'
muddy
(ˈmʌdɪ)
adj
[floor, field]沾满(滿)烂(爛)泥的 (zhānmǎn lànní de)
[colour, green]灰暗的 (huī'àn de)
vt
(= dirty) 使沾(霑)上烂(爛)泥 (shǐ zhānshàng lànní)
1 (adjective)
Definition
covered or filled with mud
a muddy track
Synonyms
boggy
a green patch at the far end of a boggy field
swampy
the swampy lowlands of southern Tuscany
marshy
the broad, marshy plain of the river
miry
quaggy
2 (adjective)
Definition
covered or filled with mud
muddy boots
Synonyms
dirty
The woman had matted hair and dirty fingernails.
soiled
grimy
a grimy industrial city
mucky
The design means that you can't see the odd mucky mark.
mud-caked
bespattered
skanky (slang)
clarty (Scottish, NorthernEngland, dialect)
3 (adjective)
Definition
not clear or bright
The paper has turned a muddy colour.
Synonyms
dull
They can both be rather dull.
flat
Her voice was flat, with no hope in it.
blurred
blurred black and white photographs
unclear
smoky
washed-out
dingy
He took me to his rather dingy office.
lustreless
Her lustreless eyes were sunk deep in her face.
4 (adjective)
Definition
cloudy
He was up to his armpits in muddy water.
Synonyms
cloudy
She could just barely see the fish through the cloudy water.
dirty
foul
foul, polluted water
opaque
The bathroom has an opaque glass window.
impure
They were warned against drinking the impure water from the stream.
turbid
5 (adjective)
Definition
(esp. of thoughts) confused or vague
Such muddy thinking is typical of those who have always had it easy.
Synonyms
confused
People are confused about what they should eat to stay healthy.
vague
His description of the events was very vague.
unclear
muddled
the muddled thinking of the Government's transport policy
fuzzy
The border between science fact and science fiction gets a bit fuzzy.
woolly
It is no good setting vague, woolly goals – we need a specific aim.
hazy
I have only a hazy memory of what he was like.
indistinct
The lettering is fuzzy and indistinct.
1 (verb)
Definition
to make muddy
The clothes were all muddied.
Synonyms
smear
a face covered by a heavy beard, smeared with dirt
soil
Young people don't want to do things that soil their hands.
dirty
He was afraid the dog's hairs might dirty the seats.
smirch
begrime
bespatter
2 (verb)
Definition
to make a situation or issue less clear
It's difficult enough without muddying the issue with religion.
Synonyms
confuse
His critics accused him of trying to confuse the issue.
cloud
Perhaps anger has clouded his vision.
obscure
the jargon that frequently obscures legal documents
blur
Scientists are trying to blur the distinction between these questions.
mix up
obfuscate (formal)
They are deliberately obfuscating the issue.
befog
make unclear
Additional synonyms
in the sense of befog
Synonyms
make unclear,
confuse,
obscure,
blur,
muddle,
darken,
fuzz,
muddy the waters,
obfuscate (formal),
make vague,
becloud,
make hazy,
make indistinct
in the sense of blur
Definition
to make or become vague or less distinct
Scientists are trying to blur the distinction between these questions.
Synonyms
obscure,
make indistinct,
mask,
soften,
muddy,
obfuscate (formal),
make vague,
befog,
make hazy
in the sense of blurred
blurred black and white photographs
Synonyms
indistinct,
faint,
vague,
unclear,
dim,
fuzzy,
misty,
hazy,
foggy,
blurry,
out of focus,
ill-defined,
lacking definition
Nearby words of
muddy
muddle
muddle along or through
muddled
muddy
muff
muffle
muffled
Synonyms of 'muddy'
muddy
Explore 'muddy' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of cloud
Definition
to confuse or impair
Perhaps anger has clouded his vision.
Synonyms
confuse,
obscure,
distort,
impair,
muddle,
disorient,
becloud
in the sense of dingy
Definition
dull, neglected, and drab
He took me to his rather dingy office.
Synonyms
dull,
dark,
dim,
gloomy,
murky,
dreary,
sombre,
drab,
colourless,
dusky,
bedimmed
in the sense of flat
Definition
without variation or emotion
Her voice was flat, with no hope in it.
Synonyms
monotonous,
boring,
uniform,
dull,
tedious,
droning,
tiresome,
unchanging,
colourless,
toneless,
samey (informal),
uninflected,
unvaried
in the sense of foul
Definition
full of dirt or offensive matter
foul, polluted water
Synonyms
dirty,
rank,
offensive,
nasty,
disgusting,
unpleasant,
revolting,
contaminated,
rotten,
polluted,
stinking,
filthy,
tainted,
grubby,
repellent,
squalid,
repulsive,
sullied,
grimy,
nauseating,
loathsome,
unclean,
impure,
grotty (slang),
fetid,
grungy (slang),
putrid,
malodorous,
noisome,
scuzzy (slang),
skanky (slang),
mephitic,
olid,
yucky or yukky (slang),
festy (Australian, slang),
yucko (Australian, slang)
in the sense of fuzzy
Definition
unclear, blurred, or distorted
The border between science fact and science fiction gets a bit fuzzy.
Synonyms
unclear,
confused,
blurred,
vague,
imprecise,
nebulous,
ill-defined,
indistinct
in the sense of grimy
a grimy industrial city
Synonyms
dirty,
polluted,
filthy,
soiled,
foul,
grubby,
sooty,
unclean,
grotty (slang),
smutty,
scuzzy (slang),
begrimed,
skanky (slang),
besmirched,
besmeared,
festy (Australian, slang)
in the sense of hazy
Definition
dim or vague
I have only a hazy memory of what he was like.
Synonyms
vague,
uncertain,
unclear,
muddled,
fuzzy,
indefinite,
loose,
muzzy,
nebulous,
ill-defined,
indistinct
in the sense of impure
Definition
dirty or unclean
They were warned against drinking the impure water from the stream.
Synonyms
unclean,
dirty,
foul,
infected,
contaminated,
polluted,
filthy,
tainted,
sullied,
defiled,
unwholesome,
vitiated,
festy (Australian, slang)
in the sense of indistinct
Definition
unable to be seen or heard clearly
The lettering is fuzzy and indistinct.
Synonyms
unclear,
confused,
obscure,
faint,
blurred,
vague,
doubtful,
ambiguous,
fuzzy,
shadowy,
indefinite,
misty,
hazy,
unintelligible,
indistinguishable,
indeterminate,
bleary,
undefined,
out of focus,
ill-defined,
indiscernible
in the sense of lustreless
Her lustreless eyes were sunk deep in her face.
Synonyms
dull,
flat,
matt,
faded,
pale,
tarnished,
drab,
lacklustre,
washed out,
lifeless,
dingy,
colourless,
unpolished
Additional synonyms
in the sense of marshy
the broad, marshy plain of the river
Synonyms
swampy,
wet,
waterlogged,
spongy,
boggy,
fenny,
miry,
paludal,
quaggy
in the sense of mucky
Definition
dirty or muddy
The design means that you can't see the odd mucky mark.
Synonyms
dirty,
soiled,
muddy,
filthy,
messy,
grimy,
mud-caked,
bespattered,
begrimed,
skanky (slang),
festy (Australian, slang)
in the sense of muddled
the muddled thinking of the Government's transport policy
Synonyms
incoherent,
confused,
loose,
vague,
unclear,
woolly,
muddleheaded
in the sense of obfuscate
Definition
to make something unnecessarily difficult to understand
They are deliberately obfuscating the issue.
Synonyms
obscure,
confuse,
cloud,
blur,
cover,
screen,
hide,
disguise,
conceal,
veil,
darken,
muddy the waters of,
befog,
throw a veil over
in the sense of obscure
Definition
to make unclear or vague
the jargon that frequently obscures legal documents
Synonyms
obfuscate (formal),
confuse,
cloud,
blur,
muddy,
darken,
muddy the waters of,
adumbrate,
befog,
throw a veil over,
bedim
in the sense of opaque
Definition
not able to be seen through
The bathroom has an opaque glass window.
Synonyms
cloudy,
clouded,
dull,
dim,
muddied,
muddy,
murky,
hazy,
filmy,
turbid,
lustreless,
non-transparent
in the sense of soil
Definition
to make or become dirty or stained
Young people don't want to do things that soil their hands.
Synonyms
dirty,
foul,
stain,
smear,
muddy,
pollute,
tarnish,
spatter,
sully,
defile,
besmirch,
smirch,
maculate (literary),
bedraggle,
befoul,
begrime
in the sense of swampy
the swampy lowlands of southern Tuscany
Synonyms
boggy,
waterlogged,
marshy,
wet,
fenny,
miry,
quaggy,
marish (obsolete)
in the sense of vague
Definition
not expressed or explained clearly
His description of the events was very vague.
Synonyms
unclear,
indefinite,
hazy,
confused,
loose,
uncertain,
doubtful,
unsure,
superficial,
incomplete,
woolly,
imperfect,
sketchy,
cursory
in the sense of woolly
Definition
confused or indistinct
It is no good setting vague, woolly goals – we need a specific aim.