muddied
Stirred up sediment
Muddied means made muddy or unclear.
Water becomes muddied when sediment stirs up; shoes get muddied on wet trails.
The figurative sense dominates: The scandal muddied his reputation.
To muddy the waters is to make a situation more confusing, often deliberately: Her testimony only muddied the waters further.
Coated in stubborn dirt
- filthyThoroughly unclean
- stainedMarred by discoloration
- smudgedBlurred by contact
- tarnishedOxidized and discolored
besmirched · dingy · grubby · sooty · fouled · unclean · discolored · begrimed
Made impure by contact
- taintedContaminated, made impure
- toxicCapable of causing harm
- runoffExcess water drainage
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
turbid · silted · effluent · waterway · watershed · riverbed · streambed · groundwater
Dark and unclear
- cloudedMade unclear or dim
- obscuredMade hard to perceive
- opaqueImpassable to light
- hazyUnclear, indistinct
fuzzy · blurred · indistinct · nebulous · foggy · vague · shadowy · misty
Excessively complex or twisted
- tangledTwisted confusedly together
- muddledIn a confused state
- obfuscatedMade deliberately unclear
- conflatedCombined into one
distorted · confused · knotty · thorny · messy · unclear · blurred · mixed
Collective opinion of someone
- besmirchedMade morally dirty
- stainedMarred by discoloration
- taintedContaminated, made impure
- smearedSpread carelessly across
damaged · compromised · discredited · maligned · defamed · degraded · dishonored · blackened
Causing mental uncertainty
- befuddledMentally confused, disoriented
- perplexedThoroughly confused, uncertain
- bewilderedThoroughly puzzled and confused
- disorientedLacking sense of direction
dazed · discombobulated · addled · muddleheaded · mixed-up · jumbled · scrambled · fuddled
grimy
Coated in stubborn dirt
tarnished · besmirched · dingy · grubby · sooty · fouled · unclean · discolored · begrimed · smeared
contaminated
Made impure by contact
sediment · turbid · silted · effluent · waterway · watershed · riverbed · streambed · groundwater · estuary
murky
Dark and unclear
hazy · fuzzy · blurred · indistinct · nebulous · foggy · vague · shadowy · misty · dim
convoluted
Excessively complex or twisted
- tangledTwisted confusedly together
- muddledIn a confused state
- obfuscatedMade deliberately unclear
conflated · distorted · confused · knotty · thorny · messy · unclear · blurred · mixed · garbled
reputation
Collective opinion of someone
- besmirchedMade morally dirty
- stainedMarred by discoloration
- taintedContaminated, made impure
smeared · damaged · compromised · discredited · maligned · defamed · degraded · dishonored · blackened · ruined
confusing
Causing mental uncertainty
- befuddledMentally confused, disoriented
- perplexedThoroughly confused, uncertain
- bewilderedThoroughly puzzled and confused
disoriented · dazed · discombobulated · addled · muddleheaded · mixed-up · jumbled · scrambled · fuddled · bemused
muddiedclear
Without obstruction or fog
crystal-clear · transparent · pure · clarified · limpid
muddiedclarified
Made understandable
clear · lucid · straightforward · transparent · unambiguous