Meaning & use
murky
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Dark, cloudy or dirty in a way that makes it hard to see through or into.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after 'be': murky water; the pond was murky.
Patterns
- murky water
- murky depths
We could not see the bottom of the murky pond.
A murky fog hung over the harbor all morning.
The photographer struggled in the murky light of the cellar.
adjectivecomparablefigurative
Hard to understand because the details are unclear or confusing.
Grammar: Often describes facts or explanations: murky details.
Patterns
- murky about something
The cause of the fire is still murky.
Her memory of that night was murky and full of gaps.
The company's rules about refunds are murky at best.
adjectivecomparablefigurative
Suggesting dishonest or shady behavior, especially when it is kept hidden.
Grammar: Often describes a past, business dealings or motives.
Patterns
- a murky past
- murky dealings
The candidate has a murky past that reporters are beginning to explore.
Murky financial dealings brought the firm down.
He refused to talk about the murky origins of the money.
Word forms
| comparative | murkier |
|---|---|
| superlative | murkiest |
Common combinations
- murky water
- Fish hid in the murky water beneath the bridge.
- murky past
- The politician has a murky past in the oil business.
- murky waters
- The case moved into murkier legal waters.
- murky depths
- Divers explored the murky depths of the lake.
- murky details
- Police are still sorting through the murky details of the robbery.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cloudy
- It is the plain word for liquids or skies that are not clear, and it lacks the sense of dirt or darkness.
- dim
- It describes weak light, and not necessarily cloudiness or dirt.
- shady
- It focuses on dishonesty, so it fits the third sense of 'murky' but not water or light.
- obscure
- It means hard to understand or little known, and it is a more formal word for the figurative use.
Opposites
Word family
- murk noun
- thick darkness or fog
- murkily adverb
- in a dark or unclear way
- murkiness noun
- the quality of being dark or unclear
Commonly confused: murky or mucky?
murky vs mucky
'Mucky' means covered with dirt or mud, and is informal. 'Murky' is about being dark, cloudy or unclear, as in murky water or a murky past.
Practice
The reporter wrote that the minister's financial affairs were 'murky'. What did she imply?
Choose one answer.
Describing affairs as 'murky' suggests they are hard to see into and may be shady. The first option is the opposite of what 'murky' means.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “murky”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.