murky
Americanadjective
adjective
-
gloomy or dark
-
cloudy or impenetrable as with smoke or fog
Synonym Usage
See dark.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of murky
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English mirky; see origin at murk, -y 1
Explanation
Something that's murky is dim, gloomy or hard to see through clearly. Think of the dark fog around a haunted house or the cloudy, muddy water in a swamp. Rarely used before the 17th century, this adjective came about by adding a "y" to the word murk. Murk itself evolved from myrkr, a Norse word for "darkness.” Things that are murky are unclear; that goes for murky, sediment-filled lakes, shady business deals, and arguments that don't seem to make any sense.
Vocabulary lists containing murky
The Diary of Anne Frank
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"The Ravine," Vocabulary from the short story
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List 10
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The conflicting views have painted a murky picture of how AI will affect the job market.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
I know it’s still murky, but what is the current state of the acquisition of Infowars?
From Slate ● Jul. 12, 2026
Through all of the murky questions about the differences between power and glory, decency and impropriety, De Palma lands on a remarkable base of human connection that elevates “Blow Out” beyond the average thriller.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
"That made it quite difficult because that reservoir is very deep and very murky."
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
The murky smell of incense and ramen noodles at the landing meant Timothy Boyd was home and trying to cook.
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
Yet once companies have captured the low-hanging fruit, the road forward may get murkier.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
The rest of the field is murkier, but I think Chase Infiniti, star of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’s’ coming-of-age follow-up ‘The Testaments,’ should make the cut.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
Things can get even murkier when SPV layering is involved.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
If you’re looking at a flight later than this summer, the picture is murkier, but it probably makes sense to hold off for a few weeks if the ticket price is really high.
From Slate ● May 12, 2026
The family you can always rely on to make the world a murkier place.
From "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling
HKU1 has the murkiest evolutionary history, but its genetic sequence clusters close to the murine hepatitis virus, suggesting it has a rodent origin.
From Science Magazine ● Jan. 11, 2024
The murkiest part of Wagner’s Sudan drive is in Darfur, a region riven by conflict and rich in uranium.
From New York Times ● Jun. 5, 2022
Gravity-powered, the sleek stainless steel system cleans even the murkiest pond water of viruses, bacteria, pathogens and other nastiness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2018
All of these factors cast this decision to live in the murkiest light.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 29, 2017
I had seen the number on the radio in Greg’s memory only a few hours earlier, burning brightly through even the murkiest clouds of his thoughts.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.