slovenly

adjective slov·en·ly \ ˈslə-vən-lē also ˈslä- \

Updated on: 25 Feb 2018

Definition of slovenly

1 a : untidy especially in personal appearance

b : lazily slipshod

slovenly in thought

2 : characteristic of a sloven

slovenly habits

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slovenliness

noun

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slovenly

adverb

See slovenly defined for English-language learners

See slovenly defined for kids

Examples of slovenly in a Sentence

He dressed in a slovenly manner.
for the sake of their image, the band members transformed themselves from clean-cut lads to slovenly rockers

Recent Examples of slovenly from the Web

From Brooklyn hipsters to the nice people of Dallas, who desperately want to be perceived as urban sophisticates, the new uniform is simply a more comfortable replacement (more slovenly, many would say) for the old uniform.

— kevin d. williamson, National Review, "Devil May Care," 10 Jan. 2018
Bohan mined the humanity of two unremarkable men - Sam, a janitor cleaning up after slovenly patrons, and Brian, shooting up in his mom's basement - to deliver searing, empathetic portraits of loneliness and addiction.

— andrea simakis, cleveland.com, "Year in Review 2017: From 'Junkie' to 'Lizzie,' standouts on Northeast Ohio stages," 28 Dec. 2017
Humor is generally the province of trolls; think of the motley assemblage of unfortunates in the slovenly writers’ room on 30 Rock, and that gives you an accurate picture of the setting in which most good jokes and satire are created in America.

— david kamp, vanityfair.com, "The Years with Graydon," 7 Sep. 2017
Without the proper collar, the no-tie, unbuttoned shirt look can come off as slovenly rather than stylish.

— ray a. smith, WSJ, "Doing Without a Tie? A Guide to Collars That Can Stand Alone," 5 July 2017
For instance, Jeff’s mother, Patty, in an astounding turn by Miranda Richardson, is a slovenly, resentful, egocentric drunk who frequently prioritizes her hangovers over Jeff’s physical rehabilitation appointments.

— glenn kenny, New York Times, "Review: Jake Gyllenhaal in ‘Stronger’ Loses His Legs in the Boston Bombing," 21 Sep. 2017
Harbour had a breakout role last year as the slovenly sheriff in Stranger Things, where his pectorals were not necessarily in danger of ripping through his shirt.

— sarah rense, Esquire, "David Harbour Looks Insane as Hellboy. Here's How He Did It.," 18 Sep. 2017
Ultimately, I was no longer held hostage to another person's slovenly, ungrateful consumerism.

— emma johnson, ELLE Decor, "The 3 Things You Should Never Keep After A Breakup," 30 Sep. 2015
Quinn’s slovenly, entitled boss and sometime lover, Chet, played by Craig Bierko, is a sloppy, sweatpants-wearing embodiment of gender double standards among TV honchos.

— jeremy egner, New York Times, "‘UnREAL’ Returns on Lifetime With a Provocative Twist JUNE 5, 2016," 3 June 2016

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