not clear or translucent; difficult to see through or understand
example
The water in the pond is murky, making it hard to see the fish inside.
synonyms
dimcloudyobscure
word origin — Middle English murkie, from murk, meaning 'dark or gloomy'
Proficient — Set 97
Set 97 of Proficient covers 5 words: murky, earnest, noisome, congenial, unsavory. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.
murky · adjective/ˈmɜrki/
not clear or translucent; difficult to see through or understand
The water in the pond is murky, making it hard to see the fish inside.
Synonyms: dim, cloudy, obscure
Origin: Middle English murkie, from murk, meaning 'dark or gloomy'
earnest · adjective/ˈɜrnəst/
serious in intention or purpose
She made an earnest effort to complete her homework on time.
Synonyms: serious, sincere, intense
Origin: Middle English, from Old English 'eornost,' meaning 'seriousness'
noisome · adjective/ˈnɔɪsəm/
having an unpleasant smell or harmful to health
The noisome garbage outside made it hard to breathe.
Synonyms: foul, stinky, harmful
Origin: The word 'noisome' comes from the Middle English 'noisome,' which is related to 'noise' in the sense of causing annoyance or harm, and is derived from the Old English 'noyse,' based on the concept of something being hurtful or offensive.
congenial · adjective/kənˈdʒiː.njəl/
having a pleasant and friendly disposition
The team leader was very congenial, making everyone feel welcome and happy to contribute.
Synonyms: friendly, sociable, pleasant
Origin: from Latin 'congenialis', meaning 'of the same kind or nature'
unsavory · adjective/ʌnˈseɪ.vɚ.i/
distasteful or morally offensive
The movie was full of unsavory characters that made the story hard to enjoy.
Synonyms: unpleasant, disagreeable, distasteful
Origin: The word 'unsavory' comes from the combination of 'un-' meaning 'not' and 'savory,' which comes from the Old French 'savor' meaning 'to taste' or 'to have flavor.'