Meaning & use

murky

adjective·Everyday

Dark, dirty, or cloudy, making it hard to see through or understand clearly.

See it in a sentence

The pond looked murky after the storm stirred up mud from its bottom.

Details about the deal remain murky, and no one will confirm who profited.

A note on using this word

Murky describes literal cloudiness in water, light, or air, and is also used figuratively for something deliberately vague or morally dubious.

Words with a similar meaning

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Words with an opposite meaning

Another way to use it

2. adjective

Morally dubious or intentionally unclear, especially about wrongdoing.

Investigators are looking into the senator's murky business connections from the 1990s.

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