muddy-the-waters
/ˌmʌd.i ðə ˈwɔː.təz/ IELTSAcademic
idiom
To make a situation less clear, more confusing, or harder to understand. People use it when someone adds new information, but it does not help solve the real issue.
- His comments only muddied the waters.
- The report muddied the waters further.
- Don't muddy the waters with unrelated examples.
Adinary Nuance
Muddy the waters is close to confuse, complicate, and obscure, but it is more vivid and idiomatic. Use it when someone makes a topic harder to understand, often by adding noise or mixed messages. It sounds natural in journalism, meetings, and academic discussion.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- làm rối thêm
- Spanish
- confundir más
- Chinese
- 把事情搞得更乱
- Japanese
- 話をややこしくする
- Korean
- 더 혼란스럽게 만들다
Etymology
This idiom comes from the image of dirty water that you cannot see through clearly. It appeared in English in the 19th century and has stayed common in writing and speech.
Common phrases
muddy the watersfurther muddy the watersmuddy the waters about something
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is muddy the waters formal or informal?
- It is neutral and common in formal writing, especially news and analysis.
- What is the difference between muddy the waters and confuse?
- Muddy the waters suggests adding confusion to an already unclear situation.
- Can I use muddy the waters in IELTS writing?
- Yes. It is good for academic or opinion writing when discussing unclear issues.