What do you call unclean water that you can't see through?

What do you call unclean water that you can't see through? Probably contaminated with dirt, prolonged stagnation or mineral erosion, almost pale brown, like stagnated water on a rainy day.

Solution 1:

Murky comes to mind.

Turbid is not a word I have heard before

Also Stagnant having no current or flow and often having an unpleasant smell as a consequence

may be interesting for you

Solution 2:

You can use the adjective turbid.

turbid

(of a liquid) cloudy, opaque, or thick with suspended matter. the turbid estuary

Or feculent which means of or containing dirt, sediment, or waste matter.

Solution 3:

Muddy is the obvious choice for me.

Murky can be any color, basically anything non-transparent. Muddy is much closer to your description of "almost pale brown" and "after a rainy day".

Solution 4:

You can call it opaque; not able to be seen through; not transparent. You might call it cloudy (of a liquid); not transparent or clear. Nonpotable, un-fit for drinking.

Other synonyms include turbid, murky, unclear, muddy, thick and milky. You might also use the Shakespearean hellbroth (uncommon, but from Macbeth).

Solution 5:

Stained is a common fishing term used to describe water that is not clear.