as in slug
a lazy person
tried to wake up the sluggards who were still sleeping at that late hour
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Moneyshow, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2021
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
Noun
-
Although the scent of mint is deeply appealing to most human noses, many pests don’t like the smell or taste of mint – including slugs and snails.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 June 2026
-
Hand remove the slugs to eliminate them from your plants.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Soviet Russia, too, experienced periodic panics about slothful bureaucrats impeding the dictatorship of the proletariat.—
Charlie Tyson,
The New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Keeping Away Pests The alluring smell of a fresh cup of joe does not have the same effect on insects and pests like snails and slugs.—
Joey Skladany,
Southern Living,
17 June 2026
-
Colorful flowers tower over guests, butterflies are as big as birds and snails and bumblebees crawl and buzz along the walls.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
The lazy writing doesn’t end there.—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
12 June 2026
-
Rise up in the biggest moments, not on a lazy Tuesday night in Columbus.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Prosecutors allege the group, who were arrested in June during a multi-state sweep, coordinated an ambush involving explosive-laden drones intended to strike the north side of the White House.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
-
Federal authorities arrested multiple people in connection with an alleged plot to target the Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House, thwarting an attack that court documents say would have involved drones, explosive devices and multiple gunmen.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
Treatment for indolent systemic mastocytosis (ISM) largely focuses on preventing and controlling specific symptoms and anaphylaxis.—
Ruth Jessen Hickman,
Health,
12 June 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
Noun
-
His discoveries promise to upset the gaming tables of every school of thought that wagers on new and untested art for idlers’ rewards: the love of novelty, the will to make or unmake reputations, the wish to be hip or au courant.—
Mark Greif,
Harper's Magazine,
26 July 2024
-
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
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
-
The film, like How to Train Your Dragon, is about a shiftless youngster (Lilo, a Hawaiian girl who has been acting out since the death of her parents) bonding with a fantasy creature (Stitch, a blue alien experiment designed as a weapon of destruction).—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sluggard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sluggard. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
