sluggish

adjective slug·gish \ ˈslə-gish \

|Updated on: 18 Jun 2018

Examples: sluggish in a Sentence

Definition of sluggish

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

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sluggishly

adverb

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sluggishness

noun

See sluggish defined for English-language learners

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Examples of sluggish in a Sentence

The game picked up after a sluggish start.
the sluggish pace of the project is worrisome

Recent Examples of sluggish from the Web

Growth is sluggish, and there is even talk of another banking crisis.

— jack ewing, New York Times, "As Uncertainty Clouds Economy, Europe Pulls Back on Easy Money," 14 June 2018
New Jersey’s economy is still sluggish and the state’s coffers are starting to feel the pinch as companies, which can carry forward their credits for 20 years, begin to cash in.

— kate king, WSJ, "Chris Christie’s Corporate Tax Breaks Leave New Jersey With Big Price Tag," 13 June 2018
The news comes as Apple has had to fend off reports that iPhone demand has been sluggish and customers are not as enthralled with the company’s iPhone X as Apple had anticipated.

— don reisinger, Fortune, "Apple Reportedly Prepares Suppliers for 20% Drop in iPhone Orders," 8 June 2018
But progress on both the hardware and the disaster planning has been sluggish.

— sean patrick cooper, The New Republic, "Is America Ready for the Next Superstorm?," 4 June 2018
Yet even with unemployment at an 18-year low, wage growth has been chronically sluggish in most industries, leaving many Americans still struggling to pay bills, particularly as inflation has ticked up.

— christopher rugaber, BostonGlobe.com, "US adds 223,000 jobs in May," 1 June 2018
Yet even with unemployment at a 17-year low, wage growth has been chronically sluggish in most industries, leaving many Americans still struggling to pay bills, particularly as inflation has ticked up.

— christopher rugaber, Fox News, "US job growth might have picked up in May despite trade rift," 1 June 2018
Yet even with unemployment at an 18-year low, wage growth has been chronically sluggish in most industries, leaving many Americans still struggling to pay bills, particularly as inflation has ticked up.

— christopher rugaber, The Christian Science Monitor, "US economy shows firm footing with unemployment at 18-year low," 1 June 2018
If, on some levels, Cloak & Dagger is oddly sluggish, there's a lot happening in these early episodes, some of it fun.

— daniel fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Cloak & Dagger': TV Review," 24 May 2018

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