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

• 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 Kansas City Chiefs have gotten off to a sluggish start to begin the 2025 NFL season. —Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025

Starving children stopped playing and appeared sluggish or apathetic; cognitive development seemed to halt or even regress. —Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025

The news caused Salesforce shares to surge as management rejected Wall Street’s narrative of sluggish revenue growth that’s been weighing on investor sentiment in 2025. —Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2025

With a backlog of more than 10,000 cases involving over 14,000 survivors (and only about 20 percent of them being resolved as of May), the sluggish judicial pace in the wake of the law’s passage has drawn criticism. —Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 17 Oct. 2025

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