Synonyms of sluggishly

sluggishly

adverb

as in slowly

at a pace that is less than usual, desirable, or expected

the car responds sluggishly until it warms up

Synonyms & Similar Words

• slowly
• cautiously
• slow
• leisurely
• laggardly
• tardily
• deliberately
• carefully
• purposefully
• pokily
• heavily
• ploddingly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rapidly
• quickly
• swiftly
• briskly
• fast
• speedily
• hastily
• swift
• immediately
• apace
• promptly
• quick
• readily
• soon
• fleetly
• recklessly
• snappily
• meteorically
• impulsively
• abruptly
• suddenly
• rashly
• impetuously
• presto
• full tilt
• pronto
• posthaste

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sluggishly

Hayes’ 3-pointer from the midcourt logo to end the first quarter keyed the Valkyries’ 24-9 second-quarter surge and enlivened a Golden State group that had started the game sluggishly. — Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026

Verstappen qualified second but stalled at the start, falling to last place as his car moved sluggishly. — Sahil Kapur, NBC news, 7 June 2026

The Knicks came out of halftime sluggishly, falling behind by 13 points in the third quarter. — Alejandro Avila, FOXNews.com, 4 June 2026

Voters, meanwhile, continued to respond somewhat sluggishly to the race, with early ballot returns slow particularly among Democrats, The Sacramento Bee reported Monday. — Andrew Graham june 1, Sacbee.com, 1 June 2026

Ratcliffe attended that loss to Leeds at Old Trafford, a display which started sluggishly and drew criticism for Carrick over his substitutions. — Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 24 May 2026

Trump has repeatedly declared victory in the war with Iran as peace talks and nuclear negotiations move sluggishly, claiming the country’s military assets have been destroyed. — Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026

Polaritons move relatively sluggishly—around 100 times slower than the speed of light. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 30 Apr. 2026

Lincoln-Way East started sluggishly, to say the least, and trailed 7-4 after one quarter before Brown entered the game and scored seven points in the second quarter. — Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026