murky

adjective

ˈmər-kē How to pronounce murky (audio)
murkier; murkiest
Synonyms of murky
1
: characterized by a heavy dimness or obscurity caused by or like that caused by overhanging fog or smoke
the murky bottom of the lake
2
: characterized by thickness and heaviness of air : foggy, misty
Handicapped by my seasickness and by the murky skies, I hardly ever could make my star sights work.—Robert Shenk
3
: darkly vague or obscure
murky official rhetoric
He offered a murky explanation.
murkily
ˈmər-kə-lē How to pronounce murky (audio)
adverb
murkiness
ˈmər-kē-nəs How to pronounce murky (audio)
noun

Synonyms of murky

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Examples of murky in a Sentence

She peered into one of the church's murky chapels. a politician with a murky past
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While some of the engineering can be precisely calculated — air, water, waste, power, occupancy and storage, for example — other questions around bunker design are murkier. — Megan Buerger, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026 To be sure, interpreting bid-ask spreads can get murky when analyzing far out-of-the-money trades with low open interest and volume. — Oliver Renick, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026 For indie investors, the pathway to getting their money back gets murkier by the day. — Joseph Kahn, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026 The situation became murkier as French lawyer Suzane Blum took increasing control over the affairs of Simpson, who had become increasingly paranoid and befuddled. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 7 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for murky

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of murky was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing murky

Rhymes for murky

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Browse Nearby Words

murksome
murky
murky bass
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Cite this Entry

“Murky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/murky. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

murky

adjective
ˈmər-kē How to pronounce murky (audio)
murkier; murkiest
1
: very dark or gloomy
2
: foggy sense 1, misty
3
: difficult to understand
a murky reply designed to confuse
murkiness noun
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