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murkiness

murkiness

1 5.9
Cloudy darkness that makes it hard to see through water or air
  • noun
  • /ˈmɜrkɪnəs/
translation icon : oscuridad
  • The murkiness of the lake made it difficult for the divers to see the bottom clearly.

Examples

  • It disappeared into the water like who knows how many are underneath the murkiness that we can't see.

  • A chiaroscuro effect is what I prefer anyway, a combination of airiness and murkiness.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • There is some grain and murkiness from time to time, but the picture is rich in color and features lots of warm tones.

    Blog text (5)
  • Outside, the sunset turned to gray, the murkiness flooding through the windows.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • What we have in here is the precipitation or the murkiness which was formed in our solution and I hope you can see it, it's not a light blue colour.

  • Twenty feet further into the murkiness, he felt a breeze blowing and the beginnings of the current moving on his right.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • In the public context, legibility is crucial and meaning is intended to be accessible to all viewers, located on the surface rather than obscured by the murkiness that comes from spiritual engagement.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Another cause for concern is the decline in water quality due to increased pollution, visible in the murkiness or darkened color of the water and confirmed by the presence of bacteria and other organisms injurious to human health (Hutchinson, 1986).

    Academic text (1993)
  • After the heavy rain, the river was full of murkiness, and visibility was reduced to a few feet.

  • The morning fog created a murkiness in the air, giving the city a mysterious atmosphere.

Synonyms

murky water
vsmurkiness
5 3.4

Water that is dark and cloudy so you cannot see through it

applies broadly to air, places, or fluids not only liquids
murk
vsmurkiness
5 8.1

A thick darkness that makes it hard to see

focuses on the general quality of being cloudy or hard to see through
opacity
vsmurkiness
4 7.0

How much light or other rays something does not let through

is about being cloudy and dark in places or fluids rather than only light loss
fuzziness
vsmurkiness
2 5.8

A blurry picture or idea hard to see and understand

stresses a darker, clouded condition that blocks sight more strongly
turbidity
vsmurkiness
  • Specialized
1 9.0

A cloudiness in water that small bits of dirt cause

is broader, covering darkness or cloudiness in many environments
nebulosity
vsmurkiness
  • Specialized
1 9.8

A faint cloudy mass, for example around a star or in a liquid

adds the stronger element of darkness and difficult visibility
obscurity
vsmurkiness
1 6.9

Dark or dim so things are hard to see

involves both lack of light and cloudy conditions that obscure vision
cloudiness
vsmurkiness
1 3.2

A liquid or the sky that is not clear because it has small bits in it

adds the idea of darkness and general difficulty seeing through things
muddiness
vsmurkiness
4.8

Water that looks cloudy or a sound that is hard to understand

covers cloudiness and darkness in both liquids and other places
unclarity
vsmurkiness
7.5

A cloudy state in water or a photo that makes it hard to see through

emphasizes extra darkness and general difficulty seeing through spaces
indistinctness
vsmurkiness
7.0

Lack of clear detail that makes things hard to see or hear

instead highlights overall darkness and cloudy view rather than edges
haziness
vsmurkiness
4.4

A thin mist in the air that makes things hard to see

is similar but also includes darker, denser clouding not just haze
mistiness
vsmurkiness
5.8

A thin cloud near the ground that makes things hard to see

covers heavier clouding and darker conditions beyond light vapor effects
fogginess
vsmurkiness
4.1

A lot of fog in the air that makes it hard to see

is broader, including dark, cloudy conditions not caused by fog
vaporousness
vsmurkiness
9.9

A state when the air is full of mist and looks cloudy

includes that effect but also darker, thicker clouding in spaces
opaqueness
vsmurkiness
7.0

How much a material does not let light pass through

focuses more on cloudy darkness rather than complete light blocking
obscureness
vsmurkiness
7.9

Darkness or low light that makes things hard to see

adds the idea of clouded or dirty appearance reducing clarity
shadowiness
vsmurkiness
6.8

A dark area where light is blocked

covers darker, clouded conditions not only caused by blocked light
shadiness
vsmurkiness
5.3

Partial darkness when something blocks the light

is broader, including cloudy or dirty conditions that reduce visibility

Antonyms

146 3.7

Being clear so people can see or understand how something works

30 2.7

How easy it is to see through something like clean water

How Murky

opacity
4 7.0
murkiness
1 5.9
cloudiness
1 3.2
haze
41 3.4
clarity
152 3.0

Surface Forms

murkiness singular
murkinesses plural

Morphology

murkiness = murky (transparent) = murky + ness

A straightforward nominalization of the adjective 'murky' giving the quality of being dark or unclear, directly derivable by learners.

Etymology

Murkiness comes from the old word murk, a word from Old Norse meaning 'dark' or 'gloom', plus -ness meaning 'state of being'. So murkiness means 'being dark', which is why we use it for cloudy, hard-to-see water or air.