1
as in slow
moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed
the sluggish pace of the project is worrisome
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2
as in sleepy
slow to move or act
reptiles are naturally sluggish at low temperatures
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sluggish
First, news broke that the Office of Management and Budget had barred the NIH from spending its funds on anything but staff salaries and expenses—yet another blow to grant-making that effectively guaranteed that the agency’s already sluggish spending would completely stagnate.
—
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 6 Aug. 2025
But a mixture of mismanagement and wider difficulties contributed to the sluggish spread of broadband, as Spectrum reported in 2004.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Aug. 2025
Movement can be sluggish depending on the character, but that’s by design.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2025
Sales of new electric vehicles in California remained sluggish in the second quarter of this year and the road ahead appears bumpy, as federal tax credits will expire at the end of next month.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sluggish
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 6 Aug. 2025
But a mixture of mismanagement and wider difficulties contributed to the sluggish spread of broadband, as Spectrum reported in 2004.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Aug. 2025
Movement can be sluggish depending on the character, but that’s by design.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2025
Sales of new electric vehicles in California remained sluggish in the second quarter of this year and the road ahead appears bumpy, as federal tax credits will expire at the end of next month.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sluggish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sluggish
Adjective
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New York lawmakers are proposing rules to humanely drive down the population of rats and other rodents, eyeing contraception and a ban on glue traps as alternatives to poison or a slow, brutal death.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
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Satellite: Available almost everywhere but can be slower and affected by weather.—
Kara McGinley,
USA Today,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In the sleepy world of French regional telecommunications, his methods could be shocking.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
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Box Office Mojo reported a slightly different number at $18.0M, but the film still took the top spot during a relatively sleepy box office weekend.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Moroney crafted a rough melody for that section, and her friends all chipped in in leisurely fashion.—
Tom Roland,
Billboard,
15 Aug. 2025
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Take a leisurely walk through the bucolic pastureland and enjoy watching these beautiful gentle creatures enjoy their home.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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And so to their kits, which more often than not are just not especially interesting: take this away strip, with its mid-2000s retro styling and pleasant off-white piping, but is just…quite dull.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
24 Aug. 2025
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Harsh chemicals like bleach and ammonia can strip the finish and dull the surface, leaving the floor prone to scratches and other damage.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In addition, construction of new single-family homes remains lethargic, and data for July showed that building permits have declined in six out of seven months this year.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
23 Aug. 2025
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Ultimately, the lethargic Soviet economy could not sustain Moscow’s imperial adventures and impracticable projects.—
S. C. M. Paine,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sluggish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sluggish. Accessed 31 Aug. 2025.
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