sloth

noun

ˈslȯth 

ˈsläth

also

ˈslōth 

plural sloths ˈslȯths 

ˈslȯṯẖz, 

ˈsläths, 

ˈsläṯẖz

also ˈslōths, 

ˈslōṯẖz

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

Illustration of sloth

• sloth 2

Synonyms of sloth

• inertia

Examples of sloth in a Sentence

the sins of gluttony and sloth

a youth inclined more toward sloth than athletics

Recent Examples on the Web

It's become the boy who cried wolf, bear, moose, badger, wombat, elephant, natterjack toad, mandrel, meerkat, blue whale, lesser skink, prairie dog, ferret, wildebeest, dingo, tree kangaroo, sloth, anteater, blue-footed booby, Norwegian Blue, and half the catalog in the Museum of Natural History. —New Atlas, 24 Jan. 2026

Hiking is also one of the best ways to spot the park's wildlife, including howler monkeys, sloths, jaguarundis, parrots, and tapirs. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 12 Jan. 2026

But the chief human resources officer at $62 billion giant Colgate-Palmolive is hitting back that young staffers aren’t the career sloths some typecast them to be. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2026

From a cat that accidentally made a worldwide journey in a shipping container to a sloth giving birth in a rare public display, all kinds of animals made the news in Minnesota this year. —Riley Moser, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English slouthe, from slow slow

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sloth

• ground sloth
• sloth bear
• three-toed sloth
• two-toed sloth

Rhymes for sloth

• both
• doeth
• growth
• loath
• oath
• quoth
• troth
• ingrowth
• outgrowth
• undergrowth

Kids Definition

sloth

noun

ˈslȯth  ˈslōth 

plural sloths

ˈslȯths, 

ˈslȯṯẖz

1

: the quality or state of being lazy

2

: any of several slow-moving mammals of the tropical forests of Central and South America that are related to the armadillos, live in trees, and feed on leaves, shoots, and fruits