mucky

/ˈmʌki/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmʌki/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmə-kē/ (ame, mw)

mucky — adjective

  • muckypositive
  • muckiercomparative
  • muckiestsuperlative

1. wet, sticky, and covered in mud, dirt, or other unpleasant matter, often in a wa

1.形容詞B2
釋義

wet, sticky, and covered in mud, dirt, or other unpleasant matter, often in a way that needs cleaning up.

例句

Salma's boots were mucky after she walked across the wet farm field.

predicative use: be + mucky after [action]

The children came home from the park with mucky knees and grass-stained shorts.

attributive: mucky + body part (knees, hands, faces)

同義詞
  • muddy

    more neutral and standard; works on both sides of the Atlantic

  • filthy

    stronger, often disgusting; not limited to mud

  • grubby

    lightly dirty, often from handling things; less wet than 'mucky'

反義詞

用法筆記

Mostly British and informal; in American English, 'muddy' or 'filthy' is more common. Often describes something temporarily soiled from a specific outdoor activity, rather than long-term grime.

常見錯誤

❌The river water is very mucky to drink.
✅The river water is very dirty to drink.
💡'mucky' describes a thick, muddy coating on a surface, not contaminated liquid you might consume.
❌His desk was mucky with old papers.
✅His desk was messy with old papers.
💡clutter is 'messy', not 'mucky'; 'mucky' needs actual mud, dirt, or sticky residue.

2. describing jokes, books, films, or behaviour that deal with sex in a crude way m

2.形容詞C1
釋義

describing jokes, books, films, or behaviour that deal with sex in a crude way many people find offensive.

例句

Ritu refused to laugh at her uncle's mucky jokes at the wedding dinner.

attributive: mucky + jokes / book / film / magazine

The old paperback turned out to be a mucky little novel, not a romance.

同義詞
  • smutty

    very close synonym; equally informal and British-leaning

  • raunchy

    more American; often celebrates the crudeness rather than condemning it

  • indecent

    more formal; can cover non-sexual offence as well

反義詞
  • wholesome

    morally clean, suitable for all audiences

  • clean

    of humour or content: free from sexual references

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 (literal dirt): this sense always modifies talk, media, or social behaviour, never physical objects. Often used with mild disapproval rather than strong condemnation.

常見錯誤

❌Obi told a mucky story about climbing a mountain.
✅Obi told a mucky story about a one-night stand.
💡this sense requires sexual content; a story about adventure or mishap is not 'mucky'.
❌The violent action film was very mucky.
✅The film had a lot of mucky scenes between the two leads.
💡violence alone does not make a film 'mucky'; the word targets sexual content specifically.