Your shoes need brushing. They are muddy.
Source: tatoeba (18102)
Muddy
/ˈmʌdi/
Synonyms for "muddy" (274 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (55)
Strong matches (82)
deadly paledeathly paledimdimmeddingydirtdirtydirty updiscoloreddrabdraggleddulldungydustdustyearthyetiolatedexsanguinatedexsanguineexsanguineous
Show 47 more words
Related words (137)
Adjective(18 words)
mistymix upmixed-upmoorishmoorymuckmuck upmuckymudmuddlemuddledmudholemurkmurkynastynebulousneutralobscureone-horse townoozy
Show 84 more words
opaquepalepale as deathpale-facedpallidpaludalpaludouspastyplashypoachyquaggyquagmiryrilerileyroilysallowscreenscruffyshadowyshapelesssicklyslabbyslimeslimyslobbysloppysloshysloughyslovenlysludgyslushysmirchsmirchedsmirchysmokesmokysmoochsmudgesmudgysmutchysmuttysnuffysoftsoilsoiledsoilysootsootysordidspattersplashysposhyspoutysqualidsquashysquelchysquishysquushysubduedsubfuscswampishswampytainttallow-facedtarnishtonelesstranscendentturbiduliginousuncleanuncleanlyunclearuncoloredunplainuntidyvaguewanwashed outwashed-outwaxenweakwhey-facedwhistle-stopwhite
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: dirty, mucky, achromatic, achromic, addled.
- Sentence evidence is available for muddy, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "muddy".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "muddy"
Keep "muddy" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "muddy" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "muddy", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "muddy" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
19 entriesShowing 16 of 19 words.
More specific
8 entriesCollocations
8 entriesmuddy bootsmuddy fieldmuddy footprintsmuddy groundmuddy roadmuddy surfacemuddy trackmuddy water
Inflections
5 entriesDerivations
6 entriessimilar
6 entriesTranslations
59 translations across 34 languages.
Bulgarian
2 entries- кален adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- мръсен adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Catalan
1 entries- fangós adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Cherokee
1 entries- ᏝᏬᏚᎯ adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 渾 /浑 adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Czech
1 entries- blátivý adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Dagbani
1 entries- biɛtibiɛti adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Danish
1 entries- mudret adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Esperanto
1 entries- kota adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Faroese
1 entries- runutur adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Finnish
4 entries- kurainen adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- kurassa adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- mudassa adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- mutainen adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
French
2 entries- boueux adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- vaseux adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
German
2 entries- matschig adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- schlammig adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Hungarian
2 entries- saras adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- sáros adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Icelandic
1 entries- forugur adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Indonesian
1 entries- berlumpur adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Ingrian
2 entries- mutaisikko adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- retuisa adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Interlingua
1 entries- fangose adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Irish
3 entries- abarach adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- draoibeach adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- lábach adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Italian
1 entries- fangoso adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Kapampangan
1 entries- maburak adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Latin
4 entries- luteolus adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- luteus adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- lutulentus adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- līmōsus adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Macedonian
1 entries- каллив adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Plautdietsch
1 entries- blottich adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Polish
2 entries- błocisty adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- błotnisty adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Portuguese
3 entries- barroso adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- lamacento adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- lodoso adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Russian
1 entries- гря́зный adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- blàtan adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- бла̀тан adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Spanish
4 entries- barroso adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- enfangado adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- fangoso adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- lodoso adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Sundanese
1 entries- bolokot adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Swedish
1 entries- lerig adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Tagalog
1 entries- maputik adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Thai
1 entries- เลอะโคลน adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Ukrainian
1 entries- брудни́й adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Vietnamese
3 entries- bùn lầy adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- lầy lội adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
- sình lầy adj (covered or splashed with, or full of, mud)
Sample sentences
55 total sentences available.
My feet started sticking in the muddy street. I nearly fell down.
Source: tatoeba (35853)
The muddy road has ruined my new shoes.
Source: tatoeba (35854)
I lost my balance on the muddy road.
Source: tatoeba (35855)
Showing 4 of 55 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "muddy"?
Closest matches include dirty, mucky, achromatic, achromic, addled.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "muddy"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.