slovenly

adjective

slov·en·ly | \ ˈslə-vən-lē

How to pronounce slovenly (audio)

also ˈslä- \

Definition of slovenly

1a : untidy especially in personal appearance

b : lazily slipshod slovenly in thought

2 : characteristic of a sloven slovenly habits

Other Words from slovenly Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about slovenly

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms & Antonyms for slovenly

Synonyms

Antonyms

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 on the Web What could be better than being a slovenly hermit with no pressure to be social? — Jill Kargman, Town & Country, "Jill Kargman: It's Time to Blowtorch Our Sweatpants," 20 Apr. 2021 Pacific Gas & Electric, whose slovenly power grid caused numerous devastating wildfires in California, the worst of them killing 85 in the town of Paradise and destroying 18,000 buildings. — Washington Post, "Corruption and greed in America’s new Gilded Age," 23 Oct. 2020 Think of Silicon Valley, and the notoriously slovenly offices of early Facebook, sticky with beer. — Penelope Green, New York Times, "As Economy Is Upended, Marie Kondo Drops a Workplace Book," 20 Mar. 2020 In 2005, Pepe became a part of Furie’s comic Boy’s Club, a series about a silly, slovenly group of friends in an early-twenties funk. — Emma Grey Ellis, Wired, "Pepe the Frog Foretold the Fraught World of Modern Memes," 27 Jan. 2020 Back to the future: Marijuana advocates in Michigan aren’t thrilled with the state’s new anti-pot advertising campaign, which paints marijuana users as slovenly losers, the Detroit Free Press’ Craig Mauger reports. — cleveland, "Will the recent trade deals have the desired effect on farmers? The Flyover," 20 Jan. 2020 Gilbert and George would never shoulder such a slovenly accessory. — The Economist, "Grave hopping with Gilbert & George," 15 Nov. 2019 Contrary to outdated stereotypes about video gamers being unhealthy, solitary, and slovenly young people, esports has largely become about bringing a healthy, social, and structured form of team play to the video games industry. — Wired, "High Schools Need to Get Over It and Embrace Esports," 10 Oct. 2019 Fat people were typically shown as sexless, slovenly, and utterly devoid of inner lives. — Kate Harding, Teen Vogue, "How Far Have We Really Come for Fat Acceptance?," 26 Aug. 2019

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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about slovenly

Dictionary Entries near slovenly

Statistics for slovenly

Last Updated

25 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Slovenly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slovenly. Accessed 10 May. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for slovenly

slovenly

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of slovenly

: messy or untidy

: done in a careless way

See the full definition for slovenly in the English Language Learners Dictionary

slovenly

adjective

slov·en·ly | \ ˈslə-vən-lē

\

Kids Definition of slovenly

1 : personally untidy

2 : very careless

WORD OF THE DAY

shrive

Listen to the pronunciation of shrive

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Star Wars Words Quiz

The bounty portion of bounty hunters (such as Boba Fett) comes from a Latin word meaning

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Universal Daily Crossword

A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.

TAKE THE QUIZ