sloth

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noun \ˈslȯth, ˈsläth also ˈslōth\

: the quality or state of being lazy

: a type of animal that lives in trees in South and Central America and that moves very slowly

plural sloths \with ths or thz\

Full Definition of SLOTH

1

a :  disinclination to action or labor :  indolence

b :  spiritual apathy and inactivity <the deadly sin of sloth>

2

:  any of various slow-moving arboreal edentate mammals (genera Bradypus and Choloepus) that inhabit tropical forests of South and Central America, hang from the branches back downward, and feed on leaves, shoots, and fruits — compare three-toed sloth, two-toed sloth

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Examples of SLOTH

1. the sins of gluttony and sloth
2. <a youth inclined more toward sloth than athletics>

Illustration of SLOTH

Origin of SLOTH

Middle English slouthe, from slow slow

First Known Use: 12th century

Related to SLOTH

Synonyms

idleness, indolence, inertia, shiftlessness, laziness

Antonyms

drive, industriousness, industry

Related Words

apathy, languor, lassitude, lethargy, listlessness, sluggishness, supineness; dallying, goldbricking, loafing, lolling, lounging

Near Antonyms

ambition, enterprise, go, hustle, initiative; assiduity, assiduousness, diligence, perseverance; animation, briskness, energy, exuberance, jazziness, liveliness, lustiness, pep, peppiness, robustness, sprightliness, vibrancy, vigor, vim, vitality, vivacity

Other Mammals Terms

dormouse, dugong, gibbon, grimalkin, sable, stoat, ungulate, vole

Rhymes with SLOTH

broth, cloth, froth, moth, swath, troth