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

Just a noxious river of sludge and foul wind enveloping everything in the vicinity. — Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026

Parkdale said Ciclo has been tested using ASTM and ISO methods in seawater, soil, wastewater sludge and biologically active landfill conditions. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026

The questions of who and why are a mystery for the season to solve, but old adversaries like Frank Harkness and Peter Judd have emerged from the sludge around now, too, and there’s an overwhelming sense now of chickens coming home to roost. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026

The United States is losing to one of its worst enemies in a war that has left the American economy mired in the sludge of growing inflation and rising energy prices. — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026