murkymurk‧y /ˈmɜːki $ ˈmɜːr-/ adjective 
murky water► see thesaurus at dark2complicated and difficult to understand SYN obscure: The laws on intellectual property are murky. the murky waters (=complicated subject) of sexuality and jealousy3involving dishonest or illegal activities that are kept secret SYN shady: a murky world of fraud and secret deals a politician with a murky past—murkiness noun [uncountable]
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- murky water
- the murky and ambiguous world of spying
- The committee is struggling to sort out the facts on a number of murky issues.
- A single sinuous shape, shedding milk light, moved in the cold, murky water overhead.
- By afternoon the atmosphere seems translucent blue, like some murky view must have looked through a Silurian sea.
- Determining motivation in any human endeavor is a murky matter, but two motives stand out: making money and making law.
- He walked from there, up barren gray streets, streetlamps painting the sidewalks a murky bronze.
- The fact that the definitions of these terms are extremely murky can inpart be traced to the notion of pertinent effects.
- There is an eerie stamp of disaster about this wind-thrown entanglement in the murky half-light of night water.
- Video: This is the murkiest field for the new company.
- Water that was clear and alive with wildlife as recently as the late 1940s is now murky and almost lifeless.
THESAURUS
if a place is dark, there is little or no light: · The room was very dark.· No, you can’t play outside, it’s too dark.· It was a dark night with clouds covering the moon.
a dimly-lit building or place is fairly dark because the lights there are not very bright: · a dimly-lit restaurant· The church was dimly lit.
a dim light is fairly dark: · The camera can take good pictures even in dim lighting.· The evening sky grew dim.
a darkened room or building is darker than usual, especially because its lights have been turned off or the curtains have been drawn: · The prisoner lay in a darkened room.· The play starts with a darkened stage, and the sound of a woman singing softly.
a gloomy place or room is not at all bright or cheerful: · The bar was gloomy and smelled of stale cigar smoke.
dark and difficult to see through – used especially about water: · the murky waters of the lake· I could hardly see him in the murky light of the bar.
completely dark, so that nothing can be seen: · It was pitch-dark inside the shed.
a shady place is cooler and darker than the area around it, because the light of the sun cannot reach it: · It was nice and shady under the trees.· They found a shady spot for a picnic.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY the murky waters (=complicated subject) of sexuality and jealousyCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN
the murky waters (=complicated subject) of sexuality and jealousy· Catfish of several species do so and appear to be calling to one another as they move in murky water.· Moorhens, mallards, grebes and a heron work the murky water for their evening meals.· A single sinuous shape, shedding milk light, moved in the cold, murky water overhead.· My torch showed small bubbles in the murky water on the base of the pan.· He also found five fish swimming in murky water in an old bathtub.
· I would be chary of anything caught in these murky waters.· A fish that comes from slow-moving often murky waters is unlikely to appreciate bright lighting or turbulent filtration.· A last desperate attempt to escape into the murky waters.· This is useful if you fly by night or live in murky waters.· But then our conversations took a dive into the murky waters of sexuality and jealousy.· People still exhibit articles for sale on the quayside for visiting cruise ships, but boys no longer dive into the murky waters.· Multi-dimensional scaling can help to clear the murky waters.· To venture into such murky waters claiming scholarly privilege, the scholarship must be beyond reproach.
· Other regulators seemed likely to applaud the proposal for making more transparent the often murky world of derivatives.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1dark and difficult to see through: - A fish that comes from slow-moving often murky waters is unlikely to appreciate bright lighting or turbulent filtration.
- A last desperate attempt to escape into the murky waters.
- And instead of heading off into uncharted waters, Shyamalan has positively invited comparisons with his previous opus.
- But then our conversations took a dive into the murky waters of sexuality and jealousy.
- Clearly the 49ers are sailing in uncharted waters.
- I would be chary of anything caught in these murky waters.
- Other career seekers are more interested in venturing into uncharted waters.
- This is useful if you fly by night or live in murky waters.
murky water► see thesaurus at dark2complicated and difficult to understand SYN obscure: The laws on intellectual property are murky. the murky waters (=complicated subject) of sexuality and jealousy3involving dishonest or illegal activities that are kept secret SYN shady: a murky world of fraud and secret deals a politician with a murky past—murkiness noun [uncountable]