Meaning & use
muddied
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“muddied” is a form of “muddy”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitivefigurative
Past tense and past participle of muddy: made something unclear or confusing.
Grammar: Takes an object: the report muddied the picture.
Patterns
- muddy the waters
- muddy an issue
The new evidence only muddied the issue.
Long speeches muddied the message.
His reply muddied the waters further.
verbtransitive
Past tense and past participle of muddy: made something dirty with mud.
Grammar: Takes an object: they muddied the floor.
Patterns
- muddy something
The children muddied the clean kitchen floor.
Heavy rain muddied the road.
He muddied his boots in the field.
Word forms
| present tense | muddy |
|---|---|
| third person singular | muddies |
| -ing form | muddying |
Common combinations
- muddied the waters
- The extra rules muddied the waters.
- muddied the picture
- New data muddied the picture.
- muddied boots
- She left her muddied boots outside.
- muddied reputation
- The scandal muddied his reputation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- confused
- Confused is a general word for making things unclear, while muddied suggests clarity was spoiled by something added.
- clouded
- Clouded is similar for judgment or issues but sounds a little more literary.
- blurred
- Blurred stresses fading boundaries, such as a line between two ideas.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: muddied or muddled?
muddied vs muddled
Muddled means mixed up or confused in mind, and is not about mud.
Practice
Choose the best word: His comments only ___ the issue.
Choose one answer.
Muddied means made unclear, which fits only. The others mean the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “muddied”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.