sloppy

play

adjective slop·py \ ˈslä-pē \

Definition of sloppy

sloppier; sloppiest

1 a :wet so as to spatter easily :slushy

a sloppy racetrack

b :wet or smeared with or as if with something slopped over

2 :slovenly, careless

a sloppy dresser

did sloppy work

3 :disagreeably effusive

sloppy sentimentalism

—

sloppily

play \ˈslä-pə-lē\ adverb

—

sloppiness

noun

See sloppy defined for English-language learners

See sloppy defined for kids

Examples of sloppy in a Sentence

Your work has been very sloppy lately.
a sloppy child who always seems to have spilled something on his clothes

Recent Examples of sloppy from the Web

Visitors, sloppy with their trash, frequently abandoned it.

— emily e. smith, Smithsonian, "The Deadly Grizzly Bear Attacks That Changed the National Park Service Forever," 10 Aug. 2017
But what is surprising is its sheer sloppy slipshoddiness.

— max c. eden, National Review, "The NAACP’s Inept Vendetta against Charter Schools," 3 Aug. 2017
Valerian wheezes to a close and then gives us a sloppy, oafish grin, one that, much like an ugly dog, both endears and repulses.

— jillian selzer, Cosmopolitan, "The 12 Meanest Things Critics Are Saying About Valerian," 24 July 2017
Loco moco and huli-huli chicken channel tradition, while a baby octopus terrine with foie gras and the sloppy kimchi burger take delicious liberties.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Los Angeles Magazine Hot Restaurant List for July 2017," 18 July 2017
The foreign players dominated a sloppy game, with Hulk at one point berating Lin Chuangyi for a misplaced pass, causing his teammate’s shoulders to slump.

— tariq panja, Bloomberg.com, "Soccer Balls and China’s Billions," 13 July 2017
Boise tied the game with two runs in the sixth but got sloppy in the 10th as Vancouver scored four runs and beat the Hawks 7-3 on Friday in Northwest League action at Memorial Stadium.

— ryan horlen, idahostatesman, "Boise Hawks fall in extra innings to Vancouver Canadians," 7 July 2017
Teddy’s cadence seems a bit too modern, which gives his story a sloppy, out-of-time quality.

— richard lawson, HWD, "Snowfall Provides Only Fleeting, Forgettable Highs," 5 July 2017
Even worse is a sloppy decision by the postdoc who designed the experiments for that student, wasting months of effort.

— john bohannon, Science | AAAS, "A new breed of scientist, with brains of silicon," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sloppy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of sloppy

1672

sloppy Synonyms

Synonyms

blowsy (also blowzy), dowdy, frowsy (or frowzy), slobbish, slobby, sloven, slovenly, unkempt, untidy

Antonyms

dapper, dashing, dolled up, sharp, smart, spruce

Related Words

slatternly; chaotic, cluttered, confused, disarranged, disheveled (or dishevelled), disordered, messed, messy, muddled, mussed, mussy, rumpled, shaggy, uncombed, wrinkled; shabby, sleazy; besmirched, blackened, dingy, dirty, filthy, foul, grimy, grubby, grungy, mucky, nasty, scroungy, scuzzy [slang], soiled, spotted, squalid, stained, sullied, unclean, uncleanly

Near Antonyms

chic, fashionable, modish, stylish; combed, groomed; neat, ordered, orderly, tidy; careful, fastidious, fussy, meticulous; clean, cleaned, cleanly, immaculate, sparkling, spotless, stainless, unsoiled, unsullied

SLOPPY Defined for English Language Learners

sloppy

play

adjective

Definition of sloppy for English Language Learners

: not careful or neat : showing a lack of care, attention, or effort
: romantic in a foolish or exaggerated way
: containing or involving a lot of liquid or too much liquid

SLOPPY Defined for Kids

sloppy

play

adjective slop·py \ ˈslä-pē \

Definition of sloppy for Students

sloppier; sloppiest

1 :careless in work or in appearance

2 :wet enough to spatter easily :containing a lot of moisture

sloppy mud

Learn More about sloppy

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sloppy Spanish Central: Translation of sloppy Nglish: Translation of sloppy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sloppy for Arabic speakers

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Examples of sloppy in a Sentence

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First Known Use of sloppy

sloppy Synonyms

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SLOPPY Defined for English Language Learners

sloppy

Definition of sloppy for English Language Learners

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