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sludgy

sludgy

1 4.8
Thick, soft, and wet like mud that makes walking hard
  • adjective
  • /ˈslədʒi/
translation icon : fangoso
  • The artist used a sludgy mix of paint to create texture in her landscape painting.
  • sludgy water
  • get sludgy
  • sludgy black

Examples

  • It's a nice sludgy brown.

  • I am real, I remind myself, in this sludgy sort of nonlight that seeps from the moon.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • They trudge over sludgy hills after a while.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Electra sits on the patio sipping a thick, almost sludgy espresso.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The Braun Aromaster percolator, with a little sludgy coffee lukewarm in its glass half, sits at the end of the counter, past where Pru is still standing trying to find something Roy might eat.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • After the heavy rain, the trail was covered in sludgy puddles that made walking difficult.

  • His shoes got stuck in the sludgy ground as he tried to cross the muddy field.

Synonyms

slimy
vssludgy
42 2.5

Covered in a wet, slippery layer, like on fish or rocks

is thicker and bulkier, more like heavy mud than a slick coating
mushy
vssludgy
18 2.0

Soft and wet like cooked vegetables or very ripe bananas

is wetter and heavier with a clear muddy quality
soggy
vssludgy
17 1.9

Very wet, soft ground that is often muddy after rain

is thicker and more muddy rather than simply waterlogged
viscous
vssludgy
11 6.1

Thick and sticky so it does not flow easily

is similarly thick and wet but specifically evokes muddy sludge
sodden
vssludgy
10 6.0

Very wet and heavy with water

is more about thick mud consistency than full saturation without thickness
mucky
vssludgy
7 3.2

Dirty and covered in mud

focuses more on thick wet bulk rather than mere surface dirtiness
slushy
vssludgy
  • UK
4 2.0

Wet, soft snow that is partly melted

is thicker and muddier rather than frozen meltwater or snow mix
sloppy
vssludgy
4 1.6

Soft, wet ground that is hard to walk on

is denser and more sludge like rather than loose watery mud
goopy
vssludgy
2 5.6

Thick and sticky in a wet, unpleasant way

is equally wet but suggests mudlike bulk rather than soft stickiness
boggy
vssludgy
2 5.6

Soft wet ground that is hard to walk on

is concentrated wet mud texture rather than a broad waterlogged area
gloppy
vssludgy
  • Informal
1 5.5

Thick and sticky in a messy way

is likewise heavy and wet but points to mud rather than gluey mass
gunky
vssludgy
1 7.7

Covered with sticky, dirty stuff

describes wet bulk like mud rather than surface residue or grime
gooky
vssludgy
  • Informal
1 8.8

Sticky and messy with a soft unpleasant covering

is more about wet mud and bulk than clingy sticky lumps
squidgy
vssludgy
  • UK
1 7.4

Soft and a little wet so you can squeeze it easily

is denser and mudlike rather than chiefly compressible or spongey
squelchy
vssludgy
1 6.1

Soft, wet ground that makes a sucking sound when you step on it

is about the dense mud substance rather than the noise of walking
sluggy
vssludgy
7.9

Thick, sticky, and slow to move like wet mud

is thick and wet like mud but more about ordinary sludge texture
miry
vssludgy
8.4

Very muddy, soft ground that is hard to walk on

is thick and wet like sludge rather than specifically hard walking ground
sloughy
vssludgy
  • US
9.9

Soft wet ground that makes walking difficult

is about dense mudlike wetness rather than general difficult terrain
quaggy
vssludgy
9.8

Soft, wet ground that feels like deep mud

is thick muddy material itself rather than expansive unstable terrain
slutchy
vssludgy
  • Archaic
9.9

A place or surface that is wet, muddy and looks dirty and messy

is narrower, naming the heavy, mudlike texture rather than general mess
sloshy
vssludgy
4.8

Wet and soft with water that splashes when you walk on it

is thicker and more solidly mudlike rather than focused on splashing sounds

Antonyms

420 1.0

Not thick from side to side, for example a line or a slice

How Thick

gloppy
  • Informal
1 5.5
viscous
11 6.1
sludgy
1 4.8
runny
34 1.0
watery
10 1.0

Surface Forms

sludgy positive

Morphology

sludgy = sludge (transparent) = sludge + y

A direct adjectival formation from 'sludge' meaning 'having the qualities of sludge', immediately obvious to learners who know 'sludge'.

Etymology

Sludgy comes from sludge, a simple word for 'thick, wet mud', and the ending -y means 'full of' or 'like'. So sludgy means 'like thick, wet mud'.