muddle

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈmʌdəl/ UK /ˈmʌdəl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to confuse or mix up; a state of disorder or confusion

He muddled the dates and missed the appointment.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to confuse or mix up; a... confuse jumble mix befuddle disorder tangle

Opposites

organize clarify order arrange

Word family

Derived forms muddledmuddlermuddling

Related forms mud muddy

Etymology

From Middle Dutch moddelen ('to make muddy'), frequentative of modden ('to dabble in mud'), related to mud; the sense 'confuse' developed in the 17th century.

moddelen Middle Dutch

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# muddle

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈmʌdəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈmʌdəl/

## Meanings
1. to confuse or mix up; a state of disorder or confusion

## Examples
- He muddled the dates and missed the appointment.

## Synonyms
- confuse
- jumble
- mix
- befuddle
- disorder
- tangle

## Antonyms
- organize
- clarify
- order
- arrange

## Derived Forms
- muddled
- muddler
- muddling

## Related Forms
- mud
- muddy

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: moddelen

## Etymology
From Middle Dutch moddelen ('to make muddy'), frequentative of modden ('to dabble in mud'), related to mud; the sense 'confuse' developed in the 17th century.

## AI Etymology
Muddle comes from Middle Dutch moddelen ('to make muddy'), frequentative of modden ('to dabble in mud'), related to mud; the sense 'confuse' developed in the 17th century. The historical trail runs through Middle Dutch moddelen. The later sense follows a semantic development already present in the word's history. In modern use it means to confuse or mix up; a state of disorder or confusion. Derived formations include muddled, muddler, muddling; related forms include mud, muddy.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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