Meanings
adjectiveclear as mud (not comparable)
- not comparablesarcasticsimileUnclear; difficult or impossible to understand or interpret.
Near-synonyms: muddied, muddy, muddled, muddle-headed
Synonyms: muddied, muddy, muddled, muddle-headed · Antonyms: clear as day, apparent, arrant, undoubted, glaring, bait, blatant, clear
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveUnclear; difficult or impossible to understand or interpret.
Also see
Origin
Blend of clear as day + mud. Compare muddy (“unclear, blurry”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish samea, läpinäkymätön
- sameaunclear
- läpinäkymätönunclear
Hungarian világos, mint a vakablak, se füle, se farka
- világos, mint a vakablakunclear
- se füle, se farkaunclear
Polish mętny, zagmatwany
- mętnyunclear
- zagmatwanyunclear
Swedish klart som lervälling
- klart som lervällingunclear
Cite this entry
APA
clear as mud. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clear%20as%20mud
MLA
“clear as mud.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clear%20as%20mud. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “clear as mud,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clear%20as%20mud.
Source: clear as mud on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.