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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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
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San Antonio made nine of its first 11 shots, with the Knicks and their fans frustrated by the referees and the home team’s sloppy play, and led 33-22 after one.—
Brian Mahoney,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
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Later in 2025 Blanche oversaw the release of documents as mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which drew criticism from Epstein survivors as being slow, sloppy, and incomplete.—
Tracy Grant,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 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
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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
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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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Last Wednesday, the hotel was swarmed with guys sporting shaggy haircuts, all looking like Geese frontman Cameron Winter.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
9 June 2026
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On June 5, Hadid debuted a set of shaggy Birkin bangs on Instagram, as well as a surprising new golden-brown hair color.—
Chanel Vargas,
InStyle,
6 June 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
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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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When actually the true version of ourselves is kind of messy, chaotic and vulnerable.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
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In its equilibrium, a good tomato sandwich is juicy and unctuous and appropriately messy, which is praise all too often reserved for hot sandwiches like cheesesteaks or patty melts.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slovenly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slovenly. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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