Standard Lemma guide

murky

adj · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈmɜː(ɹ)ki/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)ki
  • CMU ARPABET: M ER1 K IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Hard to see through, as a fog or mist.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Dark, dim, gloomy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Cloudy, indistinct, obscure.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • murky waters
  • murky territory

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Dishonest, shady.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

dark or gloomy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a murky dungeon
  • murky rooms lit by smoke-blackened lamps

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mirky

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

(of liquids) clouded as with sediment

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a cloudy liquid
  • muddy coffee
  • murky waters

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cloudy, muddy, mirky, turbid

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English mirky. Related to Old Norse myrkr, Russian мрак (mrak) and its Slavic cognates. By surface analysis, murk + -y.

Across languages

Translations

46 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: каламутны (kalamutny) — hard to see through
  • Bulgarian: мътен (mǎten) — hard to see through
  • Chinese Mandarin: 混濁 /混浊 (hùnzhuó) — hard to see through
  • Czech: kalný — hard to see through
  • Czech: neprůhledný — hard to see through
  • Czech: šerý — hard to see through
  • Czech: temný — hard to see through
  • Czech: zakalený — hard to see through
  • Danish: uigennemsigtig — hard to see through
  • Dutch: troebel — hard to see through
  • Dutch: troebele — hard to see through
  • Emilian: scûr — hard to see through
  • Finnish: samea — hard to see through
  • Finnish: sakea — hard to see through
  • French: sombre — hard to see through
  • French: trouble — hard to see through
  • Georgian: ბნელი (bneli) — hard to see through
  • Georgian: შავბნელი (šavbneli) — hard to see through
  • Georgian: უკუნი (uḳuni) — hard to see through
  • Georgian: დაბინდული (dabinduli) — hard to see through
  • German: düster — hard to see through
  • German: trüb — hard to see through
  • Hebrew: עכור (akhúr) — hard to see through
  • Hebrew: מטושטוש (metushtásh) — hard to see through
  • Hebrew: מעומעם (meum'ám) — hard to see through
  • Irish: modartha — hard to see through
  • Khmer: ល្អក់ (lʼɑk) — hard to see through
  • Latin: turbidus — hard to see through
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: grumsete — hard to see through
  • Polish: mętny — hard to see through
  • Polish: nieprzenikniony — hard to see through
  • Romanian: tulbure — hard to see through
  • Russian: му́тный (mútnyj) — hard to see through
  • Scots: mirk — hard to see through
  • Spanish: turbio — hard to see through
  • Turkish: bulanık — hard to see through
  • Ukrainian: каламутний (kalamutnyj) — hard to see through
  • Vietnamese: đục — hard to see through
  • Czech: pochybný — dishonest, shady
  • Czech: podezřelý — dishonest, shady
  • Danish: skummel — dishonest, shady
  • Finnish: hämäräperäinen — dishonest, shady
  • Polish: ciemny — dishonest, shady
  • Polish: podejrzany — dishonest, shady
  • Russian: тёмный (tjómnyj) — dishonest, shady
  • Russian: гря́зный (grjáznyj) — dishonest, shady