SLUGGARD Synonyms: 111 Similar and Opposite Words

sluggard 1 of 2

noun

ˈslə-gərd

Definition of sluggard

as in slug

a lazy person tried to wake up the sluggards who were still sleeping at that late hour

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sluggard

2 of 2

adjective

as in slothful

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of sluggard

Noun

Scar then proceeds to desolate the kingdom, with the help of hyenas, while Simba, in exile, grows up to become a pleasure-hunting, grub-eating sluggard. — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 19 July 2019 Clearly, supervision at your job is lax, and your sluggard classmate is taking advantage of that. — Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2017 Slug was – is – a variant on sluggard, which was actually used as a surname for some time, apparently. — Ruth Walker, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Sep. 2017 French workers, whom the British like to dismiss as holiday-hogging sluggards, are more productive than the British. — The Economist, 31 Aug. 2017

Adjective

The stock really has not done much of anything in the last five years, the stock following a similar sluggard pattern of the company’s revenue line. — Moneyshow, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2021

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sluggard

Noun

Prosecutors showed medical examiner photos of Sluganski's workshirt, pierced by two bullet holes, and a slug retrieved from his Kevlar vest.

— Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026
As Goncalves swept it across my complexion, its suction-y tip felt like a little slug with a very rough tongue licking my face—not unpleasant, but strange nonetheless.

— Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of slug

Noun

Look for slugs and snails feeding on both moss and algae on logs.

— Pamm Cooper, Hartford Courant, 8 Nov. 2026
Beneath Rocks and Bricks Slugs, snails, and various insects will sometimes also use rocks, bricks, garden bed edging, wooden boards, and other hard surfaces for shelter until spring.

— Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of snail

Adjective

Thankfully for all of us, this is no bubble skirt or tabi flats—these babies are notoriously easy to wear, even on your laziest days, and will stay in style for years to come.

— Kelsey Stiegman, Glamour, 6 Nov. 2026
One is that everyone who is experiencing homelessness is dealing with a substance use disorder or is lazy and just doesn’t want to do any better and just wants a free government handout.

— Jessica Tzikas, Sun Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of lazy

Noun

On Tuesday, crews used boats, drones and helicopters to conduct surface searches.

— CBS Baltimore, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
The development is part of China’s broader push to establish a low-altitude economy covering drones, cargo aircraft and passenger-carrying vehicles.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 11 Nov. 2026

Definition of drone

Adjective

Screenings in healthy adults are also more likely to catch indolent disease, meaning slow-growing or static conditions, than aggressive ones.

— Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Sep. 2026
Possibly a deepening and widening of populist politics, as both the far right and the far left win over more of the allegedly indolent youth.

— Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of indolent

Noun

Their name exudes the essence of an idler and slacker, but women’s loafers themselves are quite the opposite.

— Gaby Keiderling, Harper's BAZAAR, 19 Jan. 2023
This represents the loss of an idea of what the capital should represent, the removal of a place that was an idler’s haven.

— Anandi Mishra, The Atlantic, 30 July 2022

Definition of idler

Adjective

Why didn’t Tania just get one of her fellow Council wokesters to hire her shiftless, entitled kin?

— Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
After the volunteers slink back to Paddy’s, the most shiftless person on campus will once again be Principal Coleman (Janelle James), whose ineptitude and vanity don’t prevent her from advocating for the students from time to time.

— Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2025

Definition of shiftless

Browse Nearby Words

slugfests

sluggard

sluggardly

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“Sluggard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sluggard. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of sluggard

noun

adjective

Example Sentences

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