Word
muddy
Phoneticsmud·dy, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈmədi/
UK/mˈʌdi/
Definitions
01covered in mud
A2 · Elementary
adj. covered or splashed with wet soil.
adj. covered, splashed, or filled with mud; containing sediment in suspension.
“The children came inside with muddy boots after playing in the garden.”
“The hikers struggled to maintain their footing on the muddy trail after three days of torrential rain had turned the path into a swamp.”
02not clear
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. not clear or bright, like a dark colour or a confusing sound.
adj. lacking clarity or brightness; used of colours that are dull or sounds that are muffled.
“The recording was old and had a muddy sound that made it hard to hear the singer.”
“The artist's decision to mix too many pigments resulted in a muddy brown that lacked the vibrancy of the original sketch.”
03to make dirty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to cover something with mud or make a liquid cloudy.
v. to soil with mud or to make a liquid turbid by stirring up sediment. Transitive use.
“The passing car splashed through a puddle and muddied my clean trousers.”
“Heavy cattle traffic had muddied the stream to the point where the water was no longer suitable for the camp's filtration system.”
04to complicate a situation
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to make a situation or an idea more confusing and less clear.
v. to make a matter, argument, or situation more complicated or less clear; often used in the phrase 'muddy the waters'.
“Adding more rules now will only muddy the situation for the new staff.”
“The lawyer's constant interruptions seemed designed to muddy the waters and distract the jury from the primary evidence.”
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Image caption, The Daily Telegraph's front page shows muddy flood waters washing away a bridge.” “But muddying the waters is the mix of harms and benefits that make up the social media experience.” Etymology
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English muddi, moddy, muddy (“covered with or full of mud, muddy”), from mud, mudde (“mud; turbid water”) + -i (suffix forming adjectives). Mud, mudde is possibly borrowed from Middle Dutch modde, and/or Middle Low German modde, mudde, from Proto-Germanic mud-, mudra- (“mud”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European mū-, mew- (“moist”). The English word is analysable as mud + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’ forming adjectives). Doublet of muddle. The verb is derived from the adjective. cognates * Middle Low German moddich, muddich (German Low German muddig (“muddy; mouldy”))
From mud (crab) + -y (diminutive suffix).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Idioms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/muddy