Synonyms of sludge

sludge

noun

ˈsləj 

1

as in mud

soft wet earth

after a day of heavy rain, the fairgrounds had turned into pure sludge

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mud
• muck
• gravel
• ooze
• silt
• sand
• slime
• mire
• dirt
• clay
• slush
• guck
• slop
• soil
• gumbo
• loam
• humus

2

as in corn

something (as a work of literature or music) that is too sentimental

I can't bring myself to read that sludge

Synonyms & Similar Words

• corn
• goo
• mush
• rubbish
• soap opera
• slush
• schmaltz
• claptrap
• tripe
• drivel

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sludge

The 29-year-old has arrived at Rolling Stone’s office in distressed cutoff denim shorts and custom boots self-designed to look like she’s been trekking through sludge à la Kate Moss at Glastonbury 2005. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2026

Every bucket, every rebound, every screen oozed difficulty, as if each player was covered in sludge. — Chris Branch, New York Times, 4 June 2026

The backlash was so extensive, Gutierrez ended up backtracking on the lucrative gig entirely, in one of the clearest signs yet that AI has become toxic sludge to much of the audience Amazon is trying to woo. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 3 June 2026

Ironically, the onslaught of AI sludge reshaping the look and feel of life online today has been steadily compelling some viewers to embrace exploring last century’s cinema in the real world. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 31 May 2026