Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

sloppy

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of sloppy

1 lacking neatness in dress or person
  • a sloppy child who always seems to have spilled something on his clothes
Synonyms of sloppy

blowsy (also blowzy), dowdy, frowsy (or frowzy), slobby, slovenly, unkempt, untidy
Words Related to sloppy

slatternly

chaotic, cluttered, confused, disarranged, disheveled (or dishevelled), disordered, messed, messy, muddled, mussed, mussy, rumpled, shaggy, uncombed, wrinkled

shabby, sleazy

besmirched, blackened, dingy, dirty, filthy, foul, grimy, grubby, grungy, mucky, nasty, soiled, spotted, squalid, stained, sullied, unclean, uncleanly
Near Antonyms of sloppy

chic, fashionable, modish, stylish

combed, groomed

neat, ordered, orderly, tidy

careful, fastidious, fussy, meticulous

clean, cleaned, cleanly, immaculate, spotless, stainless, unsoiled, unsullied
Antonyms of sloppy

dapper, dashing, dolled up, sharp, smart, spruce
2 lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
  • She dumped the papers in a sloppy pile on the desk.
Synonyms of sloppy

chaotic, cluttered, confused, disarranged, disarrayed, disheveled (or dishevelled), disordered, disorderly, higgledy-piggledy, hugger-mugger, jumbled, littered, messed, messy, muddled, mussed, mussy, pell-mell, rumpled, topsy-turvy, tousled, tumbled, unkempt, untidy, upside-down
Words Related to sloppy

bedraggled, befouled, begrimed, bemired, besmirched, blackened, cruddy, dingy, dirty, draggled, filthy, foul, grimy, grubby, grungy, mucky, nasty, smudged, soiled, spotted, squalid, stained, sullied, unclean, uncleanly

dowdy, frowsy (or frowzy), shaggy, slatternly, sloven, slovenly
Phrases Synonymous with sloppy

at sixes and sevens, out of joint
Near Antonyms of sloppy

antiseptic, clean, cleaned, cleanly, hygienic, immaculate, sparkling, spick-and-span (or spic-and-span), spotless, stainless, unsoiled, unsullied

methodical (also methodic), regular, systematic, systematized

careful, fastidious, finicky, fussy, meticulous

combed, groomed, manicured, well-groomed

taintless, undefiled, unpolluted, untainted, wholesome
Antonyms of sloppy

crisp, neat, neatened, ordered, orderly, organized, shipshape, snug, tidied, tidy, trim, uncluttered, well-ordered
3 appealing to the emotions in an obvious and tiresome way
  • a cinematic romance with a sloppy musical score that will have audiences reaching for their handkerchiefs
Synonyms of sloppy

cloying, corny, drippy, gooey, lovey-dovey, maudlin, mawkish, mushy, saccharine, sappy, schmaltzy, sentimental, slushy, sugarcoated, sugary, wet
Words Related to sloppy

dreamy, misty-eyed, moonstruck, moony, nostalgic, starry-eyed

feel-good, fuzzy

melodramatic, soap-operatic, soapy, sudsy

flat, insipid, soft-boiled, tasteless, vapid, watery

cutesy
Near Antonyms of sloppy

unadulterated, unvarnished

antisentimental, cynical, hard-boiled, hard-edged, hardheaded
Antonyms of sloppy

unsentimental

Learn More about sloppy

  1. Dictionary: Definition of sloppy Spanish Central: Translation of sloppy Nglish: Translation of sloppy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sloppy for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up sloppy? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games