adj

muddy

MUH-dee

adj

Covered in, or full of, mud.

"We hiked along a muddy trail after the rain."

"She wiped her muddy boots at the door."

Not clear; unclear or confused, as of sound, colour, or thinking.

"The recording sounded muddy, with the vocals hard to make out."

"His argument was muddy and hard to follow."

verb

To make something unclear or confused.

"Adding more exceptions only muddied the rule further."

"Don't muddy the issue with irrelevant details."

How to Use Muddy

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishLiterally covered in mud, or figuratively unclear/confusing.

Common pairings

muddy water muddy the waters muddy sound

muddier comparative, muddied past tense, muddies plural, muddies singular, muddiest superlative

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We hiked along a _____ trail after the rain.

From mud plus the adjective suffix -y, going back to Old English roots.

ruddy buddy cuddy