sluggish

adjective

slug·​gish ˈslə-gish 

1

: averse to activity or exertion : indolent

also : torpid

2

: slow to respond (as to stimulation or treatment)

3

a

: markedly slow in movement, flow, or growth

b

: economically inactive or slow

sluggishly adverb

sluggishness noun

Synonyms of sluggish

• slow
• leisurely
• lagging

Examples of sluggish in a Sentence

The game picked up after a sluggish start.

the sluggish pace of the project is worrisome

Recent Examples on the Web

The closure of the key route has sent oil prices spiking, complicating Burnham’s efforts to jump-start Britain’s sluggish economy and ease the cost of living. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026

Questions over how reform should go Schwesig and others in the governing parties have cast doubt on aspects of the federal government’s reform agenda, which is meant to bolster a chronically sluggish economy. — Geir Moulson, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026

Feed your head Neagley gets off to a sluggish start, with a workmanlike, rather clumsy first episode largely spent establishing the main characters and central plot—and the writers lean a bit too hard on constant Chicago callbacks. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 2026

Now, when China’s sluggish economy already has a jobs problem—nearly a fifth of young workers are unemployed—the advances of AI threaten to put many more people out of work. — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 19 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sluggish

adjective

slug·​gish ˈsləg-ish 

: slow in movement or reaction by habit or condition

sluggishly adverb

sluggishness noun

Medical Definition

sluggish

adjective

slug·​gish ˈsləg-ish 

: markedly slow in movement, progression, or response

sluggish healing

sluggishly adverb

sluggishness noun