as in sloppy
lacking neatness in dress or person
for the sake of their image, the band members transformed themselves from clean-cut lads to slovenly rockers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sloppily
in a careless or unfashionable manner
an employee who went overboard on dress-down day and was reprimanded for dressing slovenly on the job
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of slovenly
Frank Fellone, Arkansas Online, 2 May 2025
Slough House is headed by the slovenly, flatulent, and frequently intoxicated Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), who routinely heaps verbal abuse on his staff but is nonetheless a brilliant spymaster in his own smelly way.
—Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024
Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slovenly
Adjective
Disappointed Steve Dear Steve: The real disappointment comes from slovenly people who throw trash onto our highways, or fail to properly secure their cargo.
—Frank Fellone, Arkansas Online, 2 May 2025
Slough House is headed by the slovenly, flatulent, and frequently intoxicated Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), who routinely heaps verbal abuse on his staff but is nonetheless a brilliant spymaster in his own smelly way.
—Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for slovenly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slovenly
Adjective
-
His edges going backwards can be a little sloppy, but with some refinement and good coaching, there could be something there.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
-
The Rays had a chance for more as the Tigers continued their sloppy play.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 June 2026
Adverb
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After one match against Wolverhampton Wanderers in December 2021, when City had won 1-0 but had played sloppily in the final minutes, Guardiola bellowed at the subs and youth teamers who had not actually contributed.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
25 May 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
Adjective
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Participants with wet but non-wrinkled fingers required significantly more force to maintain the same hold; their hands were working harder to do less.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
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Yellowing leaves can indicate overwatering, while wrinkled leaves can point to underwatering.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
8 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Of course, there’s a delicate balance between making quick decisions and playing chaotically.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
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Wedgewood also plays a little chaotically.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Between segments, Byrd, a shaggy-haired blonde perpetually clad in a spiderweb crochet bikini, would take calls from viewers, urge them to use condoms and dental dams, and get ready for the next performer, who would vary in gender expression and talent.—
Mike Albo,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
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However, despite Fariala’s tight control of the tone and the musical elements, the script remains shaggy and unfocused at times.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
22 May 2026
Adjective
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Planting a native garden does not have to mean a wild, unkempt aesthetic.—
Ashley Chalmers,
The Spruce,
6 June 2026
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That shouldn’t happen to anyone, even unkempt cheaters.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
In the living room, a pilot rearranges an untidy study desk.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
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An untidy pile of chicken eyeballs on a slab, one of them gazing directly at us, is a vignette from a butcher’s shop—and also an echo of the horrific eye injuries inflicted on Kashmiri protestors by the police’s metal-pellet shotguns.—
Samanth Subramanian,
New Yorker,
2 May 2026
Adjective
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To make matters messier, Danson and Goldberg’s romance was cooling off and the two actually tried to get out of the Friars roast, but the club said the tickets had been sold and the show must go on.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
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Miami-Dade’s mayor is forcing out both her top deputy and the PortMiami director as her administration faces a costly and messy real estate deal to prevent the port’s fuel depot from being lost to a luxury condo development.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slovenly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slovenly. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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