# muddy

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈmʌdi/ · frequency rank #13,022

## Definitions
1. Covered or splashed with, or full of, mud (“wet soil”).
2. Of water or some other liquid: containing mud or (by extension) other sediment in suspension; cloudy, turbid.
3. Of or relating to mud; also, having the characteristics of mud, especially in colour or taste.
4. Soiled with feces.
5. Of an animal or plant: growing or living in mud.
6. Dirty, filthy.
7. Not clear.
8. Not clear.
9. Not clear.
10. Not clear.
11. Not clear.
12. Not clear.
13. Not clear.
14. Originally, morally or religiously wrong; corrupt, sinful; now, morally or legally dubious; shady, sketchy.
15. Of a person or their facial expression: angry, sad, or sulky.
16. Slightly drunk; tipsy.

## Etymology
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English muddi, moddy, muddy (“covered with or full of mud, muddy”), from mud, mudde (“mud; turbid water”) + -i (suffix forming adjectives). Mud, mudde is possibly borrowed from Middle Dutch modde, and/or Middle Low German modde, mudde, from Proto-Germanic *mud-, *mudra- (“mud”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *mū-, *mew- (“moist”). The English word is analysable as mud + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’ forming adjectives). Doublet of muddle.
The verb is derived from the adjective.
cognates
* Middle Low German moddich, muddich (German Low German muddig (“muddy; mouldy”))

## Easily confused with
- **mummy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/muddy-vs-mummy)
- **murky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/muddy-vs-murky)
- **mushy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/muddy-vs-mushy)
- **musty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/muddy-vs-musty)
- **Mundy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/muddy-vs-mundy)
- **MUD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mud-vs-muddy)
- **Muay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/muay-vs-muddy)
- **mudd** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mudd-vs-muddy)
- **muda** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/muda-vs-muddy)
- **moody** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/moody-vs-muddy)
- **Mandy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mandy-vs-muddy)
- **madly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/madly-vs-muddy)
- **Mindy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mindy-vs-muddy)
- **Maddy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maddy-vs-muddy)
- **moldy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/moldy-vs-muddy)
- **midday** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/midday-vs-muddy)
- **muddle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/muddle-vs-muddy)

## Common misspellings (6)
`mdudy`, `mmuddy`, `muddyy`, `mudy`, `mudyd`, `umddy`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/muddy