muddy

UK: /ˈmʌdi/ US: /ˈmʌdi/ ,(mud′ē)

Inflections of 'muddy' (adj):

muddier

adj comparative

muddiest

adj superlative

Inflections of 'muddy' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

muddies

v 3rd person singular

muddying

v pres p

muddied

v past

muddied

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

mud•dy /ˈmʌdi/   adj., -di•er, -di•est, v., -died, -dy•ing. 
adj. 

1. covered or filled with mud.
2. not clear or pure:
   muddy colors.
3. hidden or vague, as in thought or expression.

v. [~ + object]

4. to make muddy:
   Your boots have muddied the carpet.
5. to cause to be confused:
   to muddy our thinking by appealing to our emotions.

mud•di•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

mud•dy  (mud′ē), adj., -di•er, -di•est, v., -died, -dy•ing. 
adj. 

1. abounding in or covered with mud.
2. not clear or pure:
   muddy colors.
3. cloudy with sediment:
   muddy coffee.
4. dull, as the complexion.
5. not clear mentally.
6. obscure or vague, as thought, expression, or literary style.
7. Sport [Horse Racing.] denoting the condition of a track after a heavy, continuous rainfall has ceased and been completely absorbed into the surface, leaving it the consistency of thick mud.

v.t. 

8. to make muddy;
   soil with mud.
9. to make turbid.
10. to cause to be confused or obscure.

v.i. 

11. to become muddy.

• late Middle English muddi. See mud, -y¹ 1375–1425

mud′di•ly, adv. 
mud′di•ness, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

muddy / ˈmʌdɪ/ adjective ( -dier, -diest)

1. covered or filled with mud
2. not clear or bright: muddy colours
3. cloudy: a muddy liquid
4. (esp of thoughts) confused or vague

verb ( -dies, -dying, -died)

1. to become or cause to become muddy

ˈmuddily adverb

ˈmuddiness noun