Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Full of sediment; muddy or cloudy.
- adjective Turbulent; agitated.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Muddy; turbid: as, roily water.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Turbid.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective of water
muddy ,cloudy (having lots of sediment) - adjective
turbulent
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective (of a liquid) agitated vigorously; in a state of turbulence
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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It's roily from the muddy banks and cold from recent rains or snowmelt, and you think: Finally, spring.
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I had started the day feeling so good and full of well-meaning intentions and now I felt all roily inside.
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KANEKTOK RIVER Anglers willing to take a gamble on possible high and roily conditions may hit the jackpot for huge rainbows when Bristol Bay streams open June 8.
A STATE-BY-STATE GUIDE TO THE HOTTEST LAKES, RIVERS, STREAMS, AND HONEY HOLES IN AMERICA 2007
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If so, this gives credence to the comment from the senior author of the Chatham report, quoted in The New York Times article cited above, despite its pouring gasoline on the fire rather than oil on the roily waters.
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Also bring Glo Bug imitations, nymphs in various hues, black Bivisibles, Woolly Worms, and bulky, gaudy flies for roily water conditions.
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The sky is low and gray, the roily gray of sliding surf.
Underworld Don Delillo 2008
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The sky is low and gray, the roily gray of sliding surf.
Underworld Don Delillo 2008
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The sky is low and gray, the roily gray of sliding surf.
Underworld Don Delillo 2008
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That's Henderson: The intensity is always there; things get roily when he's around.
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Fishing in high, roily water; in low, clear streams; and in trout ponds and lakes each requires a different approach.
Worms for Trout 1999
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