muddying
Stirring up sediment
Muddying is making something muddy—stirring up sediment in water, tracking dirt across a floor.
The figurative sense dominates: to muddy is to make unclear or confused.
Stop muddying the issue with irrelevant details.
To muddy the waters is to deliberately obscure a situation that was previously clear.
Oxidizing and losing shine
- stainingApplying dye or pigment
- besmirchingDamaging someone's reputation
- taintingPolluting or corrupting
- smearingSpreading by rubbing
defiling · soiling · dirtying · polluting · contaminating · blackening · discoloring · smudging
Clouded by particles
- murkyDark and unclear
- cloudingMaking less transparent
- siltingAccumulating waterborne deposits
- stirringArousing strong emotion
sediment · opaque · roiling · churning · disturbing · agitating · brackish · unclear
Making less transparent
- obscuringMaking less visible
- complicatingMaking less straightforward
- obfuscatingMaking unclear or confusing
- blurringMaking less distinct
distorting · convoluting · befuddling · confounding · garbling · tangling · muddling · jumbling
Loose dry earth
- clayMoldable earth for ceramics
- siltWaterborne earth particles
- loamFertile soil mixture
- earthSoil or electrical grounding
topsoil · alluvium · mire · bog · slush · muck · squelching · trampling
Concealing with covering
- shroudingCovering to conceal
- maskingConcealing by covering
- concealingKeeping something secret
- dimmingDecreasing in brightness
shadowing · darkening · hiding · cloaking · screening · eclipsing · camouflaging · overshadowing
tarnishing
Oxidizing and losing shine
- stainingApplying dye or pigment
- besmirchingDamaging someone's reputation
- taintingPolluting or corrupting
smearing · defiling · soiling · dirtying · polluting · contaminating · blackening · discoloring · smudging · marring
turbid
Clouded by particles
stirring · sediment · opaque · roiling · churning · disturbing · agitating · brackish · unclear · milky
clouding
Making less transparent
- obscuringMaking less visible
- complicatingMaking less straightforward
- obfuscatingMaking unclear or confusing
blurring · distorting · convoluting · befuddling · confounding · garbling · tangling · muddling · jumbling · perplexing
dirt
Loose dry earth
earth · topsoil · alluvium · mire · bog · slush · muck · squelching · trampling · waterlogged
veiling
Concealing with covering
- shroudingCovering to conceal
- maskingConcealing by covering
- concealingKeeping something secret
dimming · shadowing · darkening · hiding · cloaking · screening · eclipsing · camouflaging · overshadowing · burying
muddyingclarifying
Making something understandable
clearing up · elucidating · illuminating · explaining · demystifying
muddyingstreamlining
Making more aerodynamic or efficient
sorting out · tidying up · organizing · decluttering · untangling