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Turbid vs Turgid

Turbidadjective

(of liquids) clouded as with sediment

Turgidadjective

abnormally distended especially by fluids or gas

Full entry for Turgid

The difference

Turbid means cloudy or muddy. Turgid means swollen, and of prose, pompously inflated. A turbid river; a turgid essay.

How to keep them apart

Both are insults when applied to writing, but different ones: turbid writing is unclear, turgid writing is bloated.

Other pairs worth knowing

All confused pairs · SAT list · GRE list · Full word list