Word.ws English Dictionary

muddy

Syllables: mud·dyUK/ˈmʌdi/

muddy adjective: covered or splashed with, or full of, mud (“wet soil”).

muddy: covered or splashed with, or full of, mud (“wet soil”)
Image: Bill Booth, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Adjective

muddy (comparative muddier, superlative muddiest)

  1. Covered or splashed with, or full of, mud (“wet soil”).
    • He slogged across the muddy field.
    • Take off your muddy boots before you come inside.
    Synonyms:
    oozy, clatchy
  2. Of water or some other liquid: containing mud or (by extension) other sediment in suspension; cloudy, turbid.
    • The previously limpid water was now muddy as a result of the struggle between the alligator and the wild boar.
    • [A]s for his vvater [i.e., the horse's urine], the more pure, it is the better, and the more muddy, thicke, and pleaſant,^([sic – meaning unpleasant?]) ſo much the more vnhealthfull.1610, Gervase Markham, “Of the Sixe Thing Not Naturall, How They Profit, and How They Hurt”, in Markhams Maister-peece. Or, What doth a Horse-man Lacke. Containing All Possible Knowledge whatsoeuer...
  3. Of or relating to mud; also, having the characteristics of mud, especially in colour or taste.
    • [H]er garments, heauy vvith her drinke, / Pul'd the poore vvretch from her melodious buy^([sic – meaning lay]), / To muddy death.c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac...
  4. (euphemistic) Soiled with feces.
  5. (archaic) Of an animal or plant: growing or living in mud.
    • There is a point of strand / Near Vada's tower and town; and on one side / The treacherous marsh divides it from the land, / Shadowed by pine and ilex forests wide, / And on the other creeps eternally, / Through muddy weeds, the shallow, sullen sea.1818 (date written), Percy Bysshe Shelley, “Mazenghi”, in Mary W[ollstonecraft] Shelley, editor, Posthumous Poems of Percy Bysshe Shelley, London: […] [C. H. Reynell] for John and Henry L[eigh] Hunt...
  6. (figuratively) Dirty, filthy.
    • There's not the ſmalleſt orbe [in the sky] vvhich thou beholdſt, / But in his motion like an Angell ſings, / Still quiring to the young eide Cherubins; / Such harmony is in immortall ſoules, / But vvhilſt this muddy veſture of decay [i.e., the human body] / Doth groſſely cloſe in it, vve cannot...c. 1596–1598 (date written), W[illiam] Shakespeare, The Excellent History of the Merchant of Venice. […] (First Quarto), [London]: […] J[ames] Roberts [for Thomas Heyes], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act...
    • Thou sweet Arabian Panchaia, / Perfume this nastie age, smugge Lesbia / Hath stinking lunges, although a simpring grace, / A muddy inside, though a sulphul'd face.1599, W. Kinsayder or Theriomastix [pseudonyms; John Marston], “Fronti nulla fides”, in The Scourge of Villanie. […], London: […] I[ames] R[oberts], →OCLC; republished as G[eorge] B[agshawe]...
  7. (figuratively) Not clear.
    • To vvhat, my loue, ſhall I compare thine eyne? / Chriſtall is muddy.c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, A Midsommer Nights Dreame. […] (First Quarto), London: […] [Richard Bradock] for Thomas Fisher, […], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]
    • Faces never lie, it is said. […] When a man speaks the truth in the spirit of truth, his eye is as clear as the heavens. When he has base ends, and speaks falsely, the eye is muddy and sometimes asquint.1841, R[alph] W[aldo] Emerson, “Essay IV. Spiritual Laws.”, in Essays, Boston, Mass.: James Munroe and Company, →OCLC, page 128
    1. (figuratively) Of a colour: not bright: dirty, dull.
      • Muddy colors are often the result of mixing complementary colors—those opposite each other on the color wheel.2026, Pamela K. Schultz, “Primary Shift”, in Spin Off, volume L, number 1, page 27
    2. (figuratively) Of an image: blurry or dim.
    3. (figuratively) Of light: cloudy, opaque.
    4. (figuratively) Of sound (especially during performance, recording, or playback): indistinct, muffled.
      • The television picture is decent, but the sound is muddy.
    5. (figuratively) Of speech, thinking, or writing: ambiguous or vague; or confused, incoherent, or mixed-up; also, poorly expressed.
      • Do'ſt thinke I am ſo muddy, ſo vnſettled, / To appoint my ſelfe in this vexation?c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
      • Againe they vvere not out of the Hebrevv fountaine (vvee ſpeake of the Latine Tranſlations of the Old Teſtament) but out of the Greeke ſtreame, therefore the Greeke being not altogether cleare, the Latine deriued from it muſt needs be muddie.1611, [Miles Smith], “The Translators to the Reader”, in The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC
    6. (figuratively, literary, poetic) Of the air: not fresh; impure, polluted.
      • Our ovvn muddy atmoſphere, that vvraps us round in obſcurity, though it fails to gild our proſpects vvith ſun-ſhine, or our groves vvith fruitage, nevertheleſs anſvvers the calls of industry.1791, Oliver Goldsmith, “Of Winds, Irregular and Regular”, in An History of the Earth, and Animated Nature. […], new edition, volume I, London: […] F[rancis] Wingrave, successor to Mr. [John] Nourse...
  8. (figuratively) Originally, morally or religiously wrong; corrupt, sinful; now, morally or legally dubious; shady, sketchy.
    • [B]y the vvill of God the Heavenly Principle (though it be in it ſelf inviſible and undiſcernible) in due time becomes a Spirit of ſavoury and affectionate diſcernment betvvixt the evil and the good; betvvixt the pure vvaters that flovv from the holy Spirit, and the muddy and tumultuous ſuggeſtions...1653, Henry More, “Conjectura Cabbalistica. Or, A Conjectural Essay of Interpreting the Mind of Moses, in the Three First Chapters of Genesis, According to a Threefold Cabbala: Viz. Literal...
    • Business is business; and your business, let me remind you, is too muddy for such airs.1878 June–October, Robert Louis Stevenson, “[The Rajah’s Diamond.] Story of the House with the Green Blinds.”, in New Arabian Nights […], volume I, London: Chatto & Windus, […], published 1882...
  9. (archaic, figuratively) Of a person or their facial expression: angry, sad, or sulky.
  10. (figuratively, obsolete) Slightly drunk; tipsy.
    • [N]ot that he gets drunk, for he is a very pious man, but he is always muddy.1791, James Boswell, quoting Samuel Johnson, “[1776]”, in James Boswell, editor, The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. […], volume II, London: […] Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly, […], →OCLC, page 33

Verb

muddy (third-person singular simple present muddies, present participle muddying, simple past and past participle muddied)

  1. (transitive) To cover or splash (someone or something) with mud.
    • If you muddy your shoes don’t wear them inside.
    • [T]hey splashed George. He was quiet: they feared they had offended him. Then all the forces of youth burst out. He smiled, flung himself at them, splashed them, ducked them, kicked them, muddied them, and drove them out of the pool.1908, E[dward] M[organ] Forster, “Twelfth Chapter”, in A Room with a View, London: Edward Arnold, →OCLC, part II, page 200
    Synonyms:
    bemire, bemud, clart
  2. (transitive) To make (water or some other liquid) cloudy or turbid by stirring up mud or other sediment.
    • This is at the bottom a dictate of common ſenſe, or the inſtinct of ſelf-defence, peculiar to ignorant weakneſs; reſembling that inſtinct, which makes a fiſh muddy the water it ſwims in to allude its enemy, inſtead of boldly facing it in the clear ſtream.1791 (date written), Mary Wollstonecraft, “Duty to Parents”, in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects, 1st American edition, Boston, Mass.: […] Peter...
    • His life had hitherto been so quiet, so free from strife; […] It was so hard that the pleasant waters of his little stream should be disturbed and muddied by rough hands; […]1855 January 5, Anthony Trollope, “Dr. Grantly Visits the Hospital”, in The Warden, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC, page 82
  3. (figuratively, transitive) To confuse (a person or their thinking); to muddle.
    • The discussion only muddied their understanding of the subject.
    • VVhen ſorrovves comes,^([sic – meaning come]) they come not ſingle ſpies, / But in Battalia[n]es. Firſt, her Father ſlaine, / Next your Sonne gone, and he moſt violent Author / Of his ovvne iuſt remoue: the people muddied, / Thicke and vnvvholſome in their thoughts, […]c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac...
  4. (figuratively, transitive) To damage (a person or their reputation); to sully, to tarnish.
  5. (figuratively, transitive) To make (a colour) dirty, dull, or muted.
    • The addition of the second batch of paint muddied the bright colours to a dull and washed look.
    Synonyms:
    dim, dull, dullen
  6. (figuratively, transitive) To make (a matter, etc.) more complicated or unclear; to make a mess of (something).
    • As the humans establish tentative bonds with their evolutionary cousins, the inter-species waters start to muddy.2014 July 1, Steve Rose, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: a primate scream – first look review”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from...
    • It may have been effective at conveying the confusion of the situation, but it didn't make for terribly thrilling scenes. The blurry camerawork (quite literally at times) and rapid-fire editing meant that exchanges of blows that should have been viscerally thrilling were often muddied, good for...2019 April 28, Alex McLevy, “Game Of Thrones Suffers the Fog of War in the Battle against the Dead (Newbies)”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 31 May 2021
    Synonyms:
    foul up, hash, mangle
  7. (figuratively, transitive) To make (something) impure; to contaminate.
    Synonyms:
    poison, pollute, taint
  8. (figuratively, obsolete, transitive) To cause or permit (someone or something) to become stuck in mud; to mire.
    • […] I am novv ſir muddied in fortunes mood, and ſmell ſomevvhat ſtrong of her ſtrong diſpleaſure.c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
    Synonyms:
    bemire, mire
  9. (also, figuratively, intransitive) Sometimes followed by up: to become covered or splashed with mud; to become dirty or soiled.
    Synonyms:
    mire
  10. (intransitive) Of water or some other liquid: to become cloudy or turbid.
    • Malt before hops, the world over, or the beer muddies.1846, Walter Savage Landor, “Citation and Examination of William Shakespeare, Euseby Treen, Joseph Carnaby, and Silas Gough, Clerk, before the Worshipful Sir Thomas Lucy, Knight, Touching...
  11. (figuratively, intransitive) To become contaminated or impure.

Noun

muddy (plural muddies)

  1. (Australia, New-South-Wales, informal) The edible mud crab or mangrove crab (Scylla serrata).

muddy meaning in Hindi, Marathi, Urdu and Bengali

muddy in Hindi

कीचड़दार, कर्दमित

muddy in Marathi

चिखलमय, चिखलयुक्त

muddy in Urdu

گدلا, مکدر

muddy in Bengali

কর্দমাক্ত, কর্দমময়, ঘোলা
More languagesFewer languages
muddy in Malayalam
ചെളി കലർത്തുക, അവ്യക്തമാക്കുക, കലങ്ങിമറിഞ്ഞ, അവ്യക്തമായ
muddy in Kannada
ಕದಡು, ತಬ್ಬಿಬ್ಬಾಗು, ಕಡುಗೆಸರು, ಒಂಡು
muddy in Gujarati
કાદવવાળું
muddy in Sanskrit
कार्दम kārdama
muddy in Nepali
हिलो hilo
muddy in Tagalog
maputik
muddy in Indonesian
berlumpur
muddy in Thai
เลอะโคลน lə́-kloon
muddy in Vietnamese
bùn lầy, lầy lội, sình lầy
muddy in Myanmar
နောက် nauk

Examples of muddy in a sentence

  • All theſe Cocytus bounds vvith ſqualid Reeds, / VVith Muddy Ditches, and vvith deadly VVeeds: […]1697, Virgil, “The Fourth Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and...
  • A long Canal the muddy Fenn divides, / And vvith a clear unſully'd Current glides; […]1705, J[oseph] Addison, “From Rome to Naples”, in Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: […] Jacob...
  • I came out of the army like dragging myself muddy out of a swamp.1952 September 19, John Steinbeck, chapter 15, in East of Eden, Chicago, Ill.: Sears Readers Club, published 2002, →ISBN, section 3, page...
  • [T]he moſt generous VVines are the moſt muddy, before they are fine.a. 1662 (date written), Thomas Fuller, “Northampton-shire”, in The History of the Worthies of England, London: […] J[ohn] G[rismond,]...

All 40 example sentences with muddy

Synonyms of muddy

30 more synonymsFewer synonyms

All synonyms of muddy

Forms of muddy

Adjective
comparativemuddier
superlativemuddiest
Verb
third-person singular presentmuddies
present participlemuddying
past participlemuddied
pastmuddied
Noun
pluralmuddies

Origin of muddy

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).

Words formed from muddy

Phrases with muddy

Words that rhyme with muddy

Questions about muddy

What does muddy mean?
Muddy means covered or splashed with, or full of, mud (“wet soil”).
What is muddy in Hindi?
Muddy in Hindi is कीचड़दार, कर्दमित. See Muddy meaning in Hindi.
How do you use muddy in a sentence?
All theſe Cocytus bounds vvith ſqualid Reeds, / VVith Muddy Ditches, and vvith deadly VVeeds: […]
What part of speech is muddy?
Muddy can be an adjective, a verb or a noun.
How do you pronounce muddy?
Muddy is pronounced /ˈmʌdi/ (UK).

Words near muddy in the dictionary

  1. muddlingly
  2. muddlings
  3. muddly
  4. Muddock
  5. muddwelling
  6. muddy
  7. Muddy Mississippi
  8. muddy the water
  9. muddy the waters
  10. muddy up
  11. Muddy York

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: muddy (page history and authors); muddy (Hindi Wiktionary) (page history and authors); muddy (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); muddy (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); Muddy (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); muddy (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); muddy (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); muddy (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); कार्दम (Sanskrit) (page history and authors); हिलो (Nepali) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-muddy.ogg.

Cite this entry: “muddy.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/muddy. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.