ENGLISH
REFERENCE

murky

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈmɝki// UK //mˈɜːki// murky

adj. dark and dirty, making it hard to see through. It can describe water with mud in it or a situation that is not clear or honest.

adj. characterised by darkness, thickness, or dirt that obscures visibility. Often used figuratively to describe suspicious or morally ambiguous situations where the full truth is hidden.


SIMPLE

The lake water was too murky to see the bottom.

CONTEXTUAL

The company's murky financial history made investors nervous about the new merger.

COMPLEX

The investigation stalled as detectives navigated the murky waters of international espionage, where every lead seemed to dissolve into a web of conflicting interests and half-truths.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English mirky. Related to Old Norse myrkr, Russian мрак (mrak) and its Slavic cognates. By surface analysis, murk + -y.

Usage

Commonly modifies nouns related to liquids (water, depths) or abstract concepts (past, details, world).

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