muddy

American  

[muhd-ee] / ˈmʌd i /

adjective

muddier, muddiest

1. abounding in or covered with mud.

2. not clear or pure.

   muddy colors.

3. cloudy with sediment.

   muddy coffee.

4. dull, as the complexion.

5. not clear mentally.

6. obscure or vague, as thought, expression, or literary style.

7. Horse Racing. denoting the condition of a track after a heavy, continuous rainfall has ceased and been completely absorbed into the surface, leaving it the consistency of thick mud.

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verb (used with object)

muddied, muddying

1. to make muddy; soil with mud.

2. to make turbid.

3. to cause to be confused or obscure.

verb (used without object)

muddied, muddying

1. to become muddy.

muddy British  

/ ˈmʌdɪ /

adjective

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

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verb

1. to become or cause to become muddy

Other Word Forms

• muddily adverb
• muddiness noun
• unmuddied adjective
• unmuddy adjective

Etymology

Origin of muddy

First recorded in 1375–1425, muddy is from the late Middle English word muddi. See mud, -y ¹

Explanation

Muddy is a verb that means to make dirty with mud. You might muddy up your mom's white shag rug if you don't take off your dirty hiking boots before you walk inside. The meaning of muddy is easy to remember: just look at the root word mud and think about smearing it on something. Muddy is also an adjective that describes something that's dirty and messy. When you're a child, you often end up looking muddy after playing outside, because you've been splashing in puddles and playing in the leaves. Muddy can also describe soil that's waterlogged, like your vegetable garden after a big rainstorm.

Example Sentences

But higher-for-longer prices muddy the long-term outlook for LNG.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

“I think folks in Anaheim think that Anaheim is doing their fair share of developing housing. I don’t want to muddy the concept by saying Anaheim is saying, ‘We don’t need any more housing.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

While the motives that drive a knight are often human, political, or both, the logic is as miraculous and irrational as a muddy hedge knight crawling out from under a fallen dragon.

From Salon • Feb. 25, 2026

Because the teams fill up their cars with fuel and run a grand prix distance, these have far fewer variables to muddy the picture than single laps.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

As night fell, they made a shelter of bent hazel saplings and leaf mould by a muddy stream.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Related Words

• dirty
• dull
• filthy
• flat
• gloomy
• marshy
• sloppy
• sodden
• soggy
• swampy