Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Very muddy, extremely turbid (said of water): Describes water that is not clear at all, containing a high concentration of suspended particles like mud or silt, making it opaque and cloudy.

Usage

• This adjective is used almost exclusively to describe the physical state of water or other liquids, emphasizing a severe lack of clarity due to sediment.
• It is a descriptive term and is typically used attributively (before the noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like 'to be').
• The word carries a strong connotation of impurity and is often used in negative contexts.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Nước sông sau cơn mưa lớn trở nên đục ngầu. (The river water became very muddy after the heavy rain.)
  • Anh ấy nhìn xuống dòng suối đục ngầu và không dám uống. (He looked down at the extremely turbid stream and did not dare to drink.)
  • Bể cá có nước đục ngầu cần được thay ngay. (The fish tank with very muddy water needs to be changed immediately.)

Advanced Usage

• While primarily for water, it can be used metaphorically in literary contexts to describe something unclear, muddled, or impure in a non-physical sense, such as thoughts or a situation. However, this usage is less common.
  • Những suy nghĩ đục ngầu không cho phép anh ấy đưa ra quyết định sáng suốt. (His muddled thoughts prevented him from making a wise decision.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đục (adj): Muddy, turbid, cloudy. This is the root word and is more common and general than "đục ngầu."
• Vẩn đục (adj): Cloudy, murky. Often used for liquids and can imply a lesser degree of muddiness than "đục ngầu."
• Lờ đờ (adj): Used for water that is sluggish and somewhat cloudy.

Synonyms

• Rất đục: Very muddy/turbid.
• Vẩn đục: Murky, cloudy.
• Không trong: Not clear.

Antonyms

• Trong: Clear, transparent.
• Trong vắt: Crystal clear.
• Trong suốt: Transparent.

Notes

• "Đục ngầu" is an intensive form of "đục." The addition of "ngầu" intensifies the meaning to "absolutely" or "extremely" muddy.
• It is a compound word, but its meaning is fixed and treated as a single lexical unit when describing turbid water.

1. Very muddy (nói về nước)