noun
Refers to thick, dirty mud or sediment, often in industrial, environmental, or literal muddy contexts.
工場から出る汚泥の処理が問題になっている。
The disposal of sludge from factories has become a problem.
川底に汚泥がたまっている。
Sludge has accumulated on the riverbed.
noun
hopeless situation; hell; despair
Figurative use for a deeply corrupt, stagnant, or inescapable bad situation, often in social or moral contexts.
政治の汚泥を一掃しなければならない。
We must clean up the political mire.
彼は人生の汚泥から抜け出せずにいる。
He remains stuck in the hopeless mire of his life.
Sino-Japanese compound of 汚 (dirty, pollute) and 泥 (mud). The figurative sense extends the idea of being stuck in filthy, inescapable conditions.