muddled

[muhd-ld]

adjective

1. mixed up, confused, or disordered.

   The rejection is based on faulty underlying assumptions and muddled thinking.

2. muddy, clouded, or obscured; murky.

   After a long winter season, your pool is most likely a tub of muddled water with foliage and twigs floating about.

3. (of an ingredient) mixed, crushed, or mashed into a drink, especially with a muddler.

   The freshly muddled kiwi adds an unexpected flavor to this handmade cocktail.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of muddle.

Other Word Forms

• unmuddled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of muddled¹

muddle ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Many doctors lamented how once-clear vaccine guidelines have become muddled and confusing.

From Los Angeles Times

The lemons aren’t just used for juicing; their peels are also muddled with sugar, allowing the essential oils of the lemon to come out and produce a more fragrant flavor.

From Salon

In portraying these intractable figures in equivalent moral terms, Galsworthy reveals, if not his privileged background, then his muddled thinking on economic justice.

From Los Angeles Times

These movies are often some of the sole mainstream fare where right and left political ideologies collide, a safe space where politics remain intentionally muddled, if present at all.

From Salon

CBS’ “Face the Nation” program ran a clip of Harris giving a muddled response to the question.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• blurred www.thesaurus.com
• chaotic 
• convoluted 
• disorganized 
• jumbled www.thesaurus.com
• messy