murky water
Opaque, silty liquid
Water that is dark, cloudy, or opaque—difficult to see through due to sediment, algae, or pollution.
The phrase often appears figuratively for situations that are unclear, ethically questionable, or hard to navigate: The investigation led detectives into murky waters.
To wade into murky water is to enter uncertain or potentially compromising territory.
- muddyObscured by silt
- cloudyObscured by atmosphere
- swampWaterlogged land with vegetation
- fogLow-lying cloud cover
- brackishMildly salty water
silt · pond · fishing hole · stagnant · dark · opaque · depths · algae · bottom feeders · marsh · turbid · hazy · dim · shadowy · unclear · boggy · mire · sediment
- floodsflood damage, flood warning, deluge, flood warnings, flash floods
- river thingsflow, stream, current, sediment, tributary
- swamp thingsmarsh, bog, duckweed, fen, cattails
- mangrove forestprop roots, mudflat, intertidal zone, crabs, aerial roots
- water clarityturbidity, transparency, visibility, cloudiness, opacity
- Water Conditionsvisibility, turbidity, current, tide, salinity
purity/cleanliness
murky waterpure water
Uncontaminated H₂O
clean water · purified water · fresh water · distilled water · potable water
murk, murky, murkier, murkiest, murkily, murkiness, water, waters, watery