1
as in confused
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
my mind had been thoroughly muddied by the long hours of exacting work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in blurred
to make (something) unclear to the understanding
that argument is irrelevant and will just muddy the issue we're trying to resolve
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stained
to make dirty
forgot to take off our shoes and accidentally muddied the kitchen floor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of muddied
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Apr. 2026
There is a desperate need to protect first-party data, which becomes muddied when bots, rather than humans, navigate a site.
—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
20 Apr. 2026
San Antonio has three ball handlers capable of running offense in a postseason that begs teams to fight through muddied possessions.
—
The Athletic Nba Staff,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Our photo shoot takes place in his vineyards, and Cucinelli makes the short drive there himself behind the wheel of a muddied silver Rolls-Royce.
—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
8 Jan. 2026
The line between law enforcement and partisan vindictiveness can also become muddied.
—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
Her feet are bare, the toenails a little muddied.
—
Literary Hub,
28 Aug. 2025
Computers, desks, a washer and dryer were among the belongings in the muddied basement that were wrecked in the storm.
—
Bridget Fogarty,
jsonline.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Mack Degeurin,
Popular Science,
2 July 2026
What remains a bit muddied, however, is who the coaching staff favors.
—
Miami Herald,
1 July 2026
The commercial landscape has also been muddied by a proliferation of companies launching algorithms which purport to estimate biological age using selfies or surveys, and are not based on any real science at all.
—
Juergen Eckhardt,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
The California Chamber of Commerce, a business trade group behind the measure, argues the state’s system of approving certain developments is too slow, too muddied up by regulation and too expensive and that the initiative is the fix needed.
—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
Meanwhile, the secretary of state's office and the State Election Board have further muddied the waters by issuing conflicting guidance for county election officials about how votes should be cast and counted.
—
ABC News,
14 June 2026
Meanwhile, the secretary of state’s office and the State Election Board have further muddied the waters by issuing conflicting guidance for county election officials about how votes should be cast and counted.
—
Kate Brumback,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
The opposing trades offer a perspective on what could be a make-or-break moment for the precious metal as geopolitics remain unpredictable and the interest-rate outlook gets muddied as well.
—
Oliver Renick,
CNBC,
26 May 2026
But talk of Taiwan has been muddied a little by Xi’s determination to modernize the People’s Liberation Army.
—
Yan Bennett,
The Conversation,
15 May 2026
Adjective
During a nearly four-hour Friday hearing in Mecklenburg County small claims court, Jackson and Agape’s attorneys parsed through a muddied timeline that involved verbal agreements between Ball, Jackson and either Cam Newton or his father, Cecil Newton.
—
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Apr. 2026
There is a desperate need to protect first-party data, which becomes muddied when bots, rather than humans, navigate a site.
—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
20 Apr. 2026
San Antonio has three ball handlers capable of running offense in a postseason that begs teams to fight through muddied possessions.
—
The Athletic Nba Staff,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Our photo shoot takes place in his vineyards, and Cucinelli makes the short drive there himself behind the wheel of a muddied silver Rolls-Royce.
—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
8 Jan. 2026
The line between law enforcement and partisan vindictiveness can also become muddied.
—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
Her feet are bare, the toenails a little muddied.
—
Literary Hub,
28 Aug. 2025
Computers, desks, a washer and dryer were among the belongings in the muddied basement that were wrecked in the storm.
—
Bridget Fogarty,
jsonline.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
Work boots lacked traction, which isn’t ideal when playing on British turf often muddied by rain or slicked by winter frosts.
—
Mack Degeurin,
Popular Science,
2 July 2026
What remains a bit muddied, however, is who the coaching staff favors.
—
Miami Herald,
1 July 2026
The commercial landscape has also been muddied by a proliferation of companies launching algorithms which purport to estimate biological age using selfies or surveys, and are not based on any real science at all.
—
Juergen Eckhardt,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
The California Chamber of Commerce, a business trade group behind the measure, argues the state’s system of approving certain developments is too slow, too muddied up by regulation and too expensive and that the initiative is the fix needed.
—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
Meanwhile, the secretary of state's office and the State Election Board have further muddied the waters by issuing conflicting guidance for county election officials about how votes should be cast and counted.
—
ABC News,
14 June 2026
Meanwhile, the secretary of state’s office and the State Election Board have further muddied the waters by issuing conflicting guidance for county election officials about how votes should be cast and counted.
—
Kate Brumback,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
The opposing trades offer a perspective on what could be a make-or-break moment for the precious metal as geopolitics remain unpredictable and the interest-rate outlook gets muddied as well.
—
Oliver Renick,
CNBC,
26 May 2026
But talk of Taiwan has been muddied a little by Xi’s determination to modernize the People’s Liberation Army.
—
Yan Bennett,
The Conversation,
15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muddied
Adjective
-
Slayton agrees, noting that muddled mint or basil make particularly refreshing additions.
-
The Red Wings' muddled path forward was evident Wednesday with the signing of Viktor Arvidsson and trade pickup of Keegan Kolesar representing their most notable additions.
Verb
-
Narcissism should never be confused with the healthy form of philautia, a unique Greek philosophy of self-love.
-
One workshop is a Mindful Archery class, not to be confused with her other course Meditative Archery, which involves Jungian journaling; and there’s a one-on-one archery session with spiritual guidance.
Verb
-
Today, however, algorithmic feeds have increasingly blurred the boundaries between tween and adult style.
-
The concept has overwhelmingly blurred the lines between professional and personal hours for physicians, overburdening an already tenuous workforce.
Verb
-
If your clothing is stained from fabric softener, rinse the spot in the warmest water recommended for the garment.
-
Semi-sheer, marbled accent nails look like they’ve been stained with blackberry juice.
Adjective
-
Frail elderly women, swathed in headscarves and saris, worshipped while sitting on puddled pavement near corroded metal changing lockers plastered with ads for Glow & Lovely skin cream.
-
This length is easier to maintain and avoids the tripping hazards of puddled fabric while still looking polished.
Verb
-
Pochettino seemed puzzled by the downcast tone of his post-match press conference.
-
Astronomers are puzzled that such a glaring inconsistency could have gone unnoticed in existing data, such as the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), which provides our earliest snapshot of the universe.
Verb
-
Each features clouded bubbles to suggest aging, and the Air Max 90 takes the idea further with a distressed upper in the Infrared colorway.
-
Press speculation and misinformation clouded many details of the Black Dahlia case, including the origin of the nickname.
Verb
-
Meanwhile, the Iron fire, about 70 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, blackened 63 square miles by Friday and was 26% contained, authorities said.
-
The Iron Fire in Utah’s Juab County was first detected Saturday and had blackened 34 square miles (87 square kilometers), authorities said.
Cite this Entry
“Muddied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muddied. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
