sludge
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a thick, wet, and messy mixture of liquid and solid material, like mud or waste.
n.a thick, semi-solid mixture of liquid and solid components, typically associated with industrial waste, sewage, or heavy mud.
Simple“The heavy rain turned the garden path into a mess of thick, black sludge.”
In context“Environmental inspectors discovered that the factory had been illegally dumping toxic sludge into the local river system for years.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
n.annoying rules or paperwork that make it difficult and slow to get things done.
n.institutional policies or bureaucratic hurdles that introduce unnecessary tedium and inefficiency into a process.
Simple“The new government website was full of sludge that made applying for a passport very difficult.”
In context“Economists argue that administrative sludge in the healthcare system costs the country billions in lost productivity every year.”
UsageOften used in behavioral economics to describe the opposite of a 'nudge'.
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
n.a style of heavy metal music that is very slow, loud, and dark.
n.a subgenre of heavy metal music, characterized by slow tempos, abrasive rhythms, and a pessimistic atmosphere.
Simple“He spent the evening listening to old sludge records in his room.”
In context“The band's latest album is a masterclass in sludge, blending doom metal influences with a raw, aggressive production style.”
Synonymssludge metal - 04 C2 Proficiency
v.to sit or move in a heavy, lazy way.
v.to slump, slouch, or move with a heavy, lethargic gait.
Simple“After the long hike, he just sludged down into the armchair and fell asleep.”
In context“The exhausted commuters sludged toward the train platform, their heads bowed against the biting winter wind.”
“Researchers say they detected banned chemicals in air, water, sediments, soils, snow and sludge, demonstrating their environmental persistence.”
“Meanwhile, another company is looking to harness the process to recycle carbon from sewage sludge.”
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.