Synonyms of slovenly

slovenly 1 of 2

adjective

ˈslə-vən-lē 

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

• sloppy
• wrinkled
• shaggy
• unkempt
• untidy
• messy
• sloven
• dowdy
• slobbish
• slobby
• filthy
• frowsy
• blowsy
• chaotic
• confused
• dirty
• disheveled
• rumpled
• disordered
• cluttered
• slatternly
• shabby
• uncombed
• stained
• muddled
• disarranged
• nasty
• blackened
• grimy
• unclean
• squalid
• dingy
• grubby
• sleazy
• soiled
• messed
• mussy
• grungy
• mucky
• mussed
• foul
• uncleanly
• scuzzy
• spotted
• scroungy
• sullied
• besmirched

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• smart
• dapper
• fashionable
• sharp
• stylish
• chic
• dashing
• spruce
• modish
• orderly
• neat
• tidy
• careful
• groomed
• fastidious
• meticulous
• combed
• clean
• fussy
• ordered
• cleaned
• immaculate
• spotless
• dolled up
• unsoiled
• unsullied
• sparkling
• stainless
• cleanly

slovenly

2 of 2

adverb

ˈslə-vən-lē 

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

• sloppily
• chaotically
• slatternly
• dowdily
• untidily
• shabbily
• messily
• foully
• filthily
• nastily
• dirtily
• sleazily
• grubbily
• dingily

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• smart
• sharply
• orderly
• smartly
• neatly
• tidily
• nattily
• fashionably
• carefully
• fastidiously
• meticulously
• sprucely
• modishly
• immaculately
• cleanly
• spotlessly
• fussily

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of slovenly

Adjective

The other near certainty in Lead Actor should be Gary Oldman, who anchors Slow Horses with a slovenly charisma that is, against all odds, deeply watchable. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 24 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