sloth

sloth

noun \ˈslȯth, ˈsläth also ˈslōth\

plural sloths \with ths or thz\

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

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

sloth

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Three-toed sloth (Bradypus tridactylus)—Des Bartlett/Bruce Coleman Ltd.

Nocturnal, solitary, tree-dwelling mammal (family Bradypodidae), found in South and Central America. About 2 ft (60 cm) long, sloths have a tiny tail, peglike teeth, long curved claws, and long forelimbs. A green alga grows in the shaggy fur. The four species of three-toed sloths, or ais (Bradypus), eat only leaves of the trumpet tree. The two species of two-toed sloths, or unaus (Choloepus), have two toes on the forelimbs; they eat fruits, stems, and leaves of various plants. Sloths cannot walk. They cling upright to trunks, hang upside down (in which position they sleep some 15 hours a day), or move, extremely slowly (hence their name), by pulling hand over hand. Their natural camouflage is their chief protection from predators.