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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sluggard

2 of 2

adjective

as in slothful

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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

But in an aging lineup that has lacked slug for the majority of the second half, an absence such this is not nearly as easy to cover.

— Katie Woo, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
On a late November afternoon in 1991, Sam Aiuppa climbed into a stand and dropped a slug into his Remington 870.

— Scott Einsmann, Outdoor Life, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of slug

Adjective

Or its lazy gaze and obsession with gloss over lived-in texture, which sinks its moments of violence into forgettable trifles?

— Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
Deep seats give it that sink-in-and-relax feel, and the oversized chaise gives you plenty of wiggle room during movie marathons or lazy weekends.

— Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of lazy

Noun

The sheriff's office's drone was used to assist in checking the approximately 28-acre property and helped identify old kennel and animal-confinement areas.

— River Valley Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
After the closing bell Wednesday, drone maker AeroVironment and retailer American Eagle Outfitters report.

— Jeff Marks,Zev Fima, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of drone

Adjective

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
Every journey with indolent systemic mastocytosis (ISM) is unique, but my journey with ISM has been especially unique.

— Shannon Dingey, Health, 1 July 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

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Sluggard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sluggard. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of sluggard

noun

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

quorum

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes