Muddying: meaning, definitions and examples
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muddying
[ ˈmʌd.i.ɪŋ ]
making unclear
Muddying refers to the act of making something unclear, confused, or difficult to understand. It often involves introducing elements that obscure the original meaning or intention of a situation, argument, or discussion. For example, muddying a debate might happen when a speaker introduces irrelevant points or emotionally charged language that distracts from the main topic. The term conveys a sense of mixing things together in a way that hinders clarity.
Synonyms
clouding, complicating, confusing, obscuring
Examples of usage
- His explanations were muddying the main issue.
- The politician succeeded in muddying the debate with emotional appeals.
- The additional data only served to muddy the conclusions we could draw.
Translations
Translations of the word "muddying" in other languages:
🇵🇹 embaraçando
- sujando
- tornando confuso
🇮🇳 कीचड़ बनाना
- गंदा करना
- अस्पष्ट करना
🇩🇪 trüben
- verschmutzen
- verwirren
🇮🇩 mengotori
- membingungkan
- mencemari
🇺🇦 брудніння
- заплутування
- замутнення
🇵🇱 mączenie
- brudzenie
- mylenie
🇯🇵 泥だらけにする
- 混乱させる
- 汚す
🇫🇷 embrouiller
- salir
- rendre confus
🇪🇸 embarrar
- ensuciar
- confundir
🇹🇷 bulanıklaştırma
- kirletme
- karmaşıklaştırma
🇰🇷 흐리게 하다
- 더럽히다
- 혼란스럽게 하다
🇸🇦 تغميق
- تلويث
- تشويش
🇨🇿 zamlžování
- znečištění
- zmatení
🇸🇰 zamlžovanie
- znečistenie
- mätúce
🇨🇳 弄脏
- 使混乱
- 使模糊
🇸🇮 zamegljevanje
- umazati
- zmeda
🇮🇸 mólgöng
- óhreinsun
- rugl
🇰🇿 бүлдіру
- ластау
- шатастыру
🇬🇪 დაბინძურება
- დაბნევა
- დაბინდვა
🇦🇿 bulanıqlaşdırma
- çirkləndirmə
- çaşdırma
🇲🇽 embarrar
- ensuciar
- confundir
Etymology
The term 'muddy' originates from the Old English word 'myddy', which is associated with wet, soft earth or dirt. The concept of mud has been linked to obscurity and confusion since ancient times, as mud often creates a barrier that hinders visibility and clarity. As the English language evolved, 'muddy' was adopted as a metaphor to describe situations where clarity was impaired or lost. Over time, 'muddying' emerged as the present participle form of the verb, used to describe the ongoing process of making something unclear. The evolution of this word reflects the human tendency to find analogies in the physical world to articulate abstract concepts, particularly when discussing communication and thought clarity.