What I understand from dictionaries is that there are somehow complicated feelings involved (Daijirin: 感情などが、複雑に絡み合って、すっきりしないさま。), but I still don't quite understand what kind of relationship would be called どろどろ. Do you have a concrete example for me?
1 Answer
ドロドロ is normally translated as muddy, dirty, or a substance of a thick consistency.
手がドロドロになっちゃった。 ＝ 手が汚れちゃった。
チョコレートが溶けてドロドロになった。
ドロドロ is to express a relationship outside marriage.
ドロドロした男女関係 ＝ ドロ沼の不倫。
ドロドロした人間関係 ＝ backbiting, malicious gossip, envy, jealousy etc...
女だらけの職場のドロドロした人間関係に疲れました。
Hope this helps and made things clearer.
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Consider also the noun 泥【どろ】 "mud", which is reduplicated to create the adverb どろどろ. Feb 26, 2020 at 16:27