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Glite Dictionary
roily

roily

9.1
Water or other liquid that has mud mixed into it
  • adjective
  • /ˈrɔɪli/
translation icon : turbulento
  • The river was filled with roily water after the storm, making it difficult for fish to see the bait.
  • roily water

Examples

  • When Dutch put his lips to the rim of the jar, he could tell from the oily, roily look how powerful the corn liquor was.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Glofish themselves may be a short-lived commodity in the pet industry; just another flashy vapor in a roily sea of strange and unnatural creatures.

    Academic text (2004)

  • We could barely see the bottom of the lake because of the roily depths stirred up by the wind.

  • After the heavy rains, the stream became roily, flowing with muddy currents that obscured visibility.

Synonyms

turbulent
vsroily
  • Specialized
7 6.6

Moving fast in a violent, irregular way that is not smooth

is focused on agitation causing muddiness rather than only irregular motion
turbid
vsroily
1 8.1

A liquid that is cloudy because small pieces float in it

is centered on muddiness from stirring rather than mere cloudiness
roiling
vsroily
1 7.6

A liquid moving fast and making rough waves

is about agitation that makes liquid muddy rather than violent continuous motion
roiled
vsroily
8.3

Water that is cloudy and moving roughly

is the adjectival form used for the same unsettled muddy liquid
churning
vsroily
4.9

Water that moves in strong, swirling ways

is about agitation that makes sediment rise rather than only strong swirling

Antonyms

clear
866 1.0

Free from things that block sight or movement

calm
735 1.0

Not showing strong feelings and being very still

settled
3.3

Stable and unlikely to change

How Murky

muddy
73 1.1
roily
9.1
murky
16 4.9
cloudy
9 2.3
clear
866 1.0

Surface Forms

roily positive

Morphology

roily = roil (transparent) = roil + y

The adjective is directly formed from the verb 'roil' with the productive suffix '-y', giving the expected meaning 'characterized by being roiled'.

Etymology

The word roily comes from the verb roil, which means 'to stir up' or 'make muddy', so picture stirring a pond with a stick until the water looks cloudy. That's why roily describes water or any liquid that is muddy, choppy, or in a disturbed state.