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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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
To them, flame is slovenly, backward, even atavistic, tolerable only when used for ceremonial purposes.
—Stephen Pyne, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024
Giraffes at least keep the water sports to themselves; their slovenly, muck-loving neighbors, on the other hand, spread the excrement far and wide.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024
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
To them, flame is slovenly, backward, even atavistic, tolerable only when used for ceremonial purposes.
—Stephen Pyne, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024
Giraffes at least keep the water sports to themselves; their slovenly, muck-loving neighbors, on the other hand, spread the excrement far and wide.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for slovenly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slovenly
Adjective
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Chelsea occasionally bypassed the press with Gusto, a right-back playing in midfield, and captain Reece James interchanging positions, but were not helped by sloppy moments.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
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Or that fixing problems like their sloppy first-quarter defense and stagnant run game — at least for one week — gives reason to believe their floor and ceiling will rise higher as the season progresses.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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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
Adverb
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If that doesn’t happen for some reason, such as oversleeping, my day starts chaotically.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
10 Oct. 2025
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On the other hand, some of them may be acting more rebelliously, chaotically or impulsively.—
Kyle Thomas,
PEOPLE,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Her brunette hair was styled with a shaggy aesthetic with fringe to frame her face.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
17 Oct. 2025
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But as on Letterboxd, Runquist’s YouTube videos are conversational and shaggy.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Fanning, for whom this film is certainly a showcase, plays Polly, who’s revealed to be a physical and emotional mess in the opening scenes, in which she’s shown anxiously puttering around her large, unkempt house, chain-smoking and trying on dresses for an upcoming important interview.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Oct. 2025
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As the friend mentioned the dirty, unkempt sidewalks, trash in the street and the overgrown trees, Bidegain decided something needed to be done.—
Regina Elling,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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For those with untidy cleaning closets like myself, this nifty holder mounts to your wall and is designed with special grips to hold your go-to broom, tried-and-true mop, and more.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
7 Oct. 2025
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The untidy performance, which featured two throwing errors in the infield and a season-high five walks from Carlos Rodón, dropped the second-place Yankees to 55-45.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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Tallying the number of Americans detained by immigration agents is inherently messy and incomplete.—
Nicole Foy,
ProPublica,
18 Oct. 2025
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If a mess does happen, clean up spills or messy bakes early so that grime and grease don’t build up.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slovenly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slovenly. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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