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

Residents sat in homes with walls washed away by the floods, shoveling sludge-like mud and rubble off balconies or window frames. — Victoria Milko, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026

Venezuelan oil, by contrast, is heavy, sour sludge, which can more easily be distilled into asphalt, industrial oils, diesel and jet fuel. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026

Pumping at high speeds creates a suction vortex (upconing) that violently draws heavy sludge into the production stream, fouling piping and destroying surface pumps. — Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026

Related Stories The report noted that sludge remained Saitex’s primary source of waste in 2025, and that the company repurposed 40 percent of that waste to produce bricks for garden walkways and concrete blocks for retaining walls. — Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026