sludge en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
From Middle English slugge, sluche (“mud, mire”), probably an alteration of Middle English sliche, slicche ("mud, slush, tar"; whence Modern English slitch), from Old English *sliċ, from Proto-West Germanic *sliki, *slīk, from Proto-Germanic *slikiz, *slīką (“mud, slush”). Cognate with Dutch slijk, German Schlick. Compare also slush.
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) Solids separated from suspension in a liquid.
Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale.[…]Rock-filled torrents smashed vehicles and homes, burying victims under rubble and sludge.
2013 June 29, “High and wet”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 28:
- (countable, uncountable) A residual semi-solid material left from industrial, water treatment, or wastewater treatment processes.
- (countable, uncountable) A sediment of accumulated minerals in a steam boiler.
- (countable, uncountable) A mass of small pieces of ice on the surface of a water body.
-
(abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, uncountable) Ellipsis of sludge metal.
alt of sludge metal
-
(countable, qualifier:behavioral science, uncountable) Institutional policies that introduce tedium and inefficiency in processes.
In the 2008 best seller Nudge, the legal scholar Cass R. Sunstein and the economist Richard H. Thaler marshaled behavioral-science research to show how small tweaks could help us make better choices. An updated version of the book includes a section on what they called “sludge”—tortuous administrative demands, endless wait times, and excessive procedural fuss that impede us in our lives.
[2025 June 29, Chris Colin, “That Dropped Call With Customer Service? It Was on Purpose.”, in The Atlantic, retrieved 29 Jun 2025, Ideas:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| slutch | Northern-England, Scotland, alternative | lexicographic | |
| sludges | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
sludge out · sludgelike · desludge · sludge metal · oil sludge · mudge · sludgemaker · sludge hole · antisludge · biliary sludge · activated sludge · sludgy · biosludge · primordial sludge · sludgecore · sludge acid · sludger
Synonyms
mire (separated solids) · ooze (separated solids) · slush (separated solids) · mud (separated solids)
Translations (48)
ru шлам (generic term for separated solids) · es fango (residual material from a process) · fi suppo (small pieces of ice) · ar حَمَأ (residual material from a process) · fi muta (generic term for separated solids) · ko 진창 (generic term for separated solids) · de Abwasserschlamm (residual material from a process) · fi liete (residual material from a process) · fi lieju (generic term for separated solids) · ru ил (generic term for separated solids) · tr atık (residual material from a process) · es pecina (generic term for separated solids) · pdt Moarauss (generic term for separated solids) · ga dríodar (residual material from a process) · fr lie (generic term for separated solids) · uk мул (generic term for separated solids) · eo ŝlimo (generic term for separated solids) · ru шлам (sediment of minerals in a steam boiler) · pt sedimento (generic term for separated solids) · ko 진흙 (generic term for separated solids) · cmn 污泥 (generic term for separated solids) · fi hyhmä (small pieces of ice) · fi kattilakivi (sediment of minerals in a steam boiler) · ru оса́док (residual material from a process) · bg накип (sediment of minerals in a steam boiler) · es sedimento (generic term for separated solids) · es fango (generic term for separated solids) · de Schlamm (generic term for separated solids) · fi liete (generic term for separated solids) · tr çamur (residual material from a process) · ar حَمأَة (residual material from a process) · es lodo (sediment of minerals in a steam boiler) · bg шлам (residual material from a process) · fi sohjo (small pieces of ice) · mi kene (generic term for separated solids) · ar رُسَابَة (sediment of minerals in a steam boiler) · de Matsch (generic term for separated solids) · es costra (small pieces of ice) · es puaj (generic term for separated solids) · mi kene (residual material from a process) · ja 泥 (generic term for separated solids) · pl szlam (residual material from a process) · tr tortu (residual material from a process) · bg плаващ лед (small pieces of ice) · ga dríodar (generic term for separated solids) · es lodo (generic term for separated solids) · pl muł (residual material from a process) · ja 泥土 (generic term for separated solids)