mucky

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈmʌki/ UK /ˈmʌki/ See IPA manual

Freq #37467

Meanings

1

adj
informal, especially British: covered with dirt or mud; dirty and messy

Leave your mucky boots by the back door.
2

adj
British informal: obscene or sexually explicit

The editor rejected the mucky story as unsuitable for a children's magazine.
3

verb
dialectal British: to make something dirty or muddy

Wipe the brush first, or you will mucky the clean floor.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · informal, especially... dirty muddy filthy grimy

2 adj · british informal: obscene... obscene pornographic blue

3 verb · dialectal british: to make... dirty soil muddy

Opposites

clean spotless wholesome

Word family

Derived forms muckilymuckiness

Related forms muck mud grimemucky up

Etymology

Formed from muck + -y. Muck came through Middle English from a Scandinavian source meaning dung or manure. The adjective developed the general sense 'dirty or muddy' and then the informal sexual sense. A dialectal transitive verb, as in 'mucky it,' treats the adjective as 'make dirty.'

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# mucky

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈmʌki/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈmʌki/
**Frequency rank:** 37467

## Meanings
1. informal, especially British: covered with dirt or mud; dirty and messy
2. British informal: obscene or sexually explicit
3. dialectal British: to make something dirty or muddy

## Examples
- Leave your mucky boots by the back door.
- The editor rejected the mucky story as unsuitable for a children's magazine.
- Wipe the brush first, or you will mucky the clean floor.

## Synonyms
- dirty
- muddy
- filthy
- grimy
- obscene

## Antonyms
- clean
- spotless
- wholesome

## Derived Forms
- muckily
- muckiness

## Related Forms
- muck
- mud
- grime
- mucky up

## Etymology
Formed from muck + -y. Muck came through Middle English from a Scandinavian source meaning dung or manure. The adjective developed the general sense 'dirty or muddy' and then the informal sexual sense. A dialectal transitive verb, as in 'mucky it,' treats the adjective as 'make dirty.'

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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