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clouded

clouded

1 4.8
A face, mind, or explanation that is not clear because of worry
  • adjective
  • /klaʊdɪd/
translation icon : confuso
  • Last night I dreamt their eyes still open, dim, clouded as the eyes of fish washed ashore, yet fixed staring back at me.

You're emotionally clouded from even hearing what they're saying.

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Examples

  • His judgement was clouded by doubt, making it hard for him to decide.

  • Our judgement is clouded either way.

  • Passion, yes, but being clouded by insecurities is a huge vulnerability.

  • After a stressful day, her mind felt clouded with worry about the future.

  • When she tried to explain the problem, her thoughts were clouded and difficult to follow.

Synonyms

blurry
vsclouded
70 3.6

Looks unclear, so you cannot see details

is unclear because of inner worry or confusion rather than outer appearance
hazy
vsclouded
49 3.9

Not clear because of mist or when you cannot remember it well

is unclear specifically from worry or confusion rather than weather or memory
misty
vsclouded
35 1.4

Covered with thin cloud near the ground or not clear in memory

is unclear because of mental worry or confusion rather than weather in the air
opaque
vsclouded
14 8.0

Hard to understand or follow

is temporarily obscured by worry or confusion rather than fully impenetrable
shadowy
vsclouded
5 5.1

Hard to see or understand because it is not clear

is unclear due to worry or confusion rather than mere vagueness of shape
foggy
vsclouded
3 1.4

Not clear or easy to remember

is unclear because of internal worry or confusion rather than external weather
blurred
vsclouded
2 3.4

Not clear to see or understand, like a photo

is unclear mainly because of worry or confusion rather than visual problems
shrouded in mist
vsclouded
1 5.7

Covered by mist so you cannot see far

is unclear from worry, confusion, or thought rather than literal covering

Antonyms

1.0

Easy to understand and not confusing

9 4.5

Clear and easy to understand language

How Clear

clear
1.0
clouded
1 4.8
confused
692 1.3
muddled
7 5.4

Surface Forms

clouded positive

Morphology

clouded = cloud (transparent) = cloud + ed

The adjectival sense 'obscured' is formed by the past participle of the verb 'cloud' and the metaphorical extension from physical clouds to obscuring (e.g., a clouded mind) is a common, predictable pattern.

Etymology

Clouded comes from cloud, a thing that can hide light, so to be clouded is to be 'covered' or 'obscured'. That's why a clouded face or mind looks 'not clear' because worry, tears, or confusion hide what you can see or understand.