big ball of mud

noun

A complex system designed in a haphazard manner, without coherent architecture.

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Meanings

nounbig ball of mud (plural big balls of mud)

plural big balls of mud

  1. slangcomputingA complex system designed in a haphazard manner, without coherent architecture.

    The main issue with a big ball of mud is the lack of structure and organization. The absence of modularity and distinct issue separation in the code base leads to a complex network of interconnected files and functions.

    2024, Tural Suleymani, Hands-On Microservices with JavaScript, page 5
Cite this entry
APA

big ball of mud. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/big%20ball%20of%20mud

MLA

“big ball of mud.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/big%20ball%20of%20mud. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “big ball of mud,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/big%20ball%20of%20mud.

Source: big ball of mud on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.