Muddying

The act of making something unclear, confused, or difficult to understand. It involves obscuring something's clarity, either literally, by applying mud or a similar substance, or figuratively, by introducing elements that complicate or obscure its meaning or purpose. muddying the waters can involve adding ambiguity, introducing extraneous information, or manipulating circumstances to create a lack of transparency. This word suggests a deliberate or unintentional act of clouding the perception of something.

Muddying meaning with examples

• The politician's evasive answers were deliberately muddying the issue, allowing him to avoid directly addressing the allegations. His obfuscation tactics left voters uncertain about the truth, protecting his image with vague responses. The goal was to obscure the facts and prevent a definitive answer from being found, using complicated phrases and distractions.
• By introducing irrelevant details and technical jargon, the lawyer effectively muddied the legal arguments. The jury struggled to decipher the core issues due to this complex information. Each new piece of extraneous data served to blur the essential points that supported either side's position, making a conclusion more difficult to obtain.
• The constant revisions to the project plan were gradually muddying the project's objectives. This lack of a clear directive meant that the team didn't know the end-goal anymore. The ambiguity in their goal confused members of the team, which meant that their performance would suffer with this vagueness. The lack of clarity stalled progress.
• The artist's use of abstract imagery and symbolism ended up muddying the original message of their work, making interpretation subjective. Although thought provoking, the audience was left struggling to ascertain the original intent of the artist. This lack of guidance prevented a single understanding of the subject, and this was due to artistic license.