as in chaotically
in a careless or unfashionable manner
when she arrived at work this morning she was sloppily dressed, and her hair was unkempt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sloppily
The Giants became the first National League team to seven losses, and although 10 games is not a representative sample, there’s never a good time in a season for a team’s most reliable veterans to play sloppily or make decisions on tilt.
—
Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Miss Manners is at least relieved that your family’s transgressions are limited to eating sloppily, which doesn’t harm others.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2026
Louisville sped to a 10-3 lead before Virginia surged ahead with 11 unanswered points as the Cardinals went cold and played sloppily for one stretch.
—ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026
This time, Attorney General Pam Bondi has gone along with efforts to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James—but the department handled the cases so sloppily that a district court has already thrown them out.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
The Knicks were down one at that point, sloppily holding their own in a game Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart each missed due to right ankle ailments.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2026
In New York, the story goes that the sloppily sinful sandwich on rye bread was named for the founder of New York’s Reuben Restaurant.
—Terry Ward, CNN Money, 15 Nov. 2025
Criticism rained down on the city from animal rights groups and residents fearful of seeing animals being sloppily butchered in broad daylight in their neighbor’s yard.
—John Carlisle, Freep.com, 31 May 2025
Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Miss Manners is at least relieved that your family’s transgressions are limited to eating sloppily, which doesn’t harm others.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2026
Louisville sped to a 10-3 lead before Virginia surged ahead with 11 unanswered points as the Cardinals went cold and played sloppily for one stretch.
—ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026
This time, Attorney General Pam Bondi has gone along with efforts to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James—but the department handled the cases so sloppily that a district court has already thrown them out.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
The Knicks were down one at that point, sloppily holding their own in a game Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart each missed due to right ankle ailments.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2026
In New York, the story goes that the sloppily sinful sandwich on rye bread was named for the founder of New York’s Reuben Restaurant.
—Terry Ward, CNN Money, 15 Nov. 2025
Criticism rained down on the city from animal rights groups and residents fearful of seeing animals being sloppily butchered in broad daylight in their neighbor’s yard.
—John Carlisle, Freep.com, 31 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sloppily
Adverb
-
Of course, there’s a delicate balance between making quick decisions and playing chaotically.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Wedgewood also plays a little chaotically.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
9 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
It’s cropped with puffy sleeves that land at or above the wrist instead of hanging slovenly over your hands.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sloppily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sloppily. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
