sluggard 1 of 2

noun

ˈslə-gərd How to pronounce sluggard (audio)
Definition of sluggardnext
as in slug
a lazy person tried to wake up the sluggards who were still sleeping at that late hour

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sluggard

2 of 2

adjective

as in slothful

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sluggard
Noun
Scar then proceeds to desolate the kingdom, with the help of hyenas, while Simba, in exile, grows up to become a pleasure-hunting, grub-eating sluggard. — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 19 July 2019 Clearly, supervision at your job is lax, and your sluggard classmate is taking advantage of that. — Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2017 Slug was – is – a variant on sluggard, which was actually used as a surname for some time, apparently. — Ruth Walker, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Sep. 2017 French workers, whom the British like to dismiss as holiday-hogging sluggards, are more productive than the British. — The Economist, 31 Aug. 2017
Adjective
The stock really has not done much of anything in the last five years, the stock following a similar sluggard pattern of the company’s revenue line. — Moneyshow, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sluggard
  1. slug
  2. slothful
  3. snail
  4. lazy
  5. drone
  6. indolent
  7. idler
  8. shiftless
Noun
  • Mulch also helps suppress weeds and dissuades strawberry pests like slugs.
    — Michelle Mastro, Architectural Digest, 14 Aug. 2026
  • If your garden has been beset by destructive crawling insects like ants, beetles, and slugs, pesticides often seem like the clear solution.
    — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of slug
Adjective
  • Holes left lying around for even the most slothful of AI are just begging for an easy AI escape.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026
  • That they would be regarded as slothful morons who aren't worth the price of a ticket of admission.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 2 Feb. 2026
Definition of slothful
Noun
  • Insects belong to the kingdom Animalia, along with mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, octopuses, snails, jellyfish, worms, and many other groups.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Chicks, in particular, eat large quantities of high-protein insect larvae, beetles, flies, snails, spiders and ants.
    — Tom Huggler, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of snail
Adjective
  • That is not saying that her kids are terrible, lazy, ugly, addicted to TikTok, or caught shoplifting at Brandy Melville.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Music takes on a different purpose by mid-August—who isn’t feeling a little lazy and crooked by now, spiritually overserved and ready for a nap?
    — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of lazy
Noun
  • At least 28 drones were shot down over the Moscow region, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on Telegram.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Romania said an explosive-laden naval drone believed to have been launched by Russia targeted one of its offshore natural gas projects.
    — Kosta Gak, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of drone
Adjective
  • Every journey with indolent systemic mastocytosis (ISM) is unique, but my journey with ISM has been especially unique.
    — Shannon Dingey, Health, 1 July 2026
  • No, rest is for the lazy, the Caucasian adolescent, the indolent, the indulgent—until the age of thirty.
    — Taiye Selasi, New Yorker, 31 May 2026
Definition of indolent
Noun
  • Their name exudes the essence of an idler and slacker, but women’s loafers themselves are quite the opposite.
    — Gaby Keiderling, Harper's BAZAAR, 19 Jan. 2023
  • This represents the loss of an idea of what the capital should represent, the removal of a place that was an idler’s haven.
    — Anandi Mishra, The Atlantic, 30 July 2022
Definition of idler
Adjective
  • Why didn’t Tania just get one of her fellow Council wokesters to hire her shiftless, entitled kin?
    — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
  • After the volunteers slink back to Paddy’s, the most shiftless person on campus will once again be Principal Coleman (Janelle James), whose ineptitude and vanity don’t prevent her from advocating for the students from time to time.
    — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2025
Definition of shiftless

Browse Nearby Words

slugfests
sluggard
sluggardly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sluggard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sluggard. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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