sluggishness

noun

Definition of sluggishnessnext
1
as in dilatoriness

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2
as in lethargy

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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 sluggishness In fact, the battle could have cleared House of the Dragon of its reputation for sluggishness. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 June 2026 Yet sluggishness at the very top is masking dynamism throughout the rest of the list, as a new generation of firms—whether Vietnamese conglomerates, Singaporean banks, or once-loss-making digital platforms—is capturing a greater share of regional revenue and profits. — Andrew Staples, Fortune, 16 June 2026 Throughout the day Heavy, high-fat meals immediately before exercise can increase your digestive workload and contribute to feelings of sluggishness in the heat. — Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 13 June 2026 Following his Game 1 sluggishness, Wembanyama played with more aggression and decisiveness. — Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026 But sluggishness in Tableau and the commerce vertical are blemishes. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 May 2026 When Poor Circulation Needs a Doctor Lifestyle changes can do a lot for everyday circulatory sluggishness. — Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026 Djokovic, 38, was barely moving between points during the second set, and Prižmić exploited his sluggishness with consistently punishing drop shots. — Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 8 May 2026 There was noticeable and annoying lag and sluggishness in the Windows desktop and Windows Explorer, not even counting Chrome or Office, with apps taking some 10 seconds to even open. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sluggishness
  1. tardiness
  2. lethargy
  3. lateness
  4. apathy
  5. inertia
  6. lassitude
Noun
  • Their tardiness, which saw the start delayed by half an hour, was continued on the field with India looking like a rabble in the face of the onslaught from Buttler and Brook.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 12 July 2026
  • Target's new attendance point system Target will start tracking unexcused tardiness and absences for its store and warehouse workers in September, assigning point values to violations and terminating any employee who hits 12 points within a year.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 30 June 2026
Definition of tardiness
Noun
  • Contact your veterinarian even if your pet appears healthy, and seek emergency care for symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy or appetite loss.
    — Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 27 July 2026
  • Symptoms include coughing, rapid breathing, lethargy, and reluctance to exercise; open-mouth breathing in cats is an emergency.
    — Jen Reeder, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of lethargy
Noun
  • In 2024, military and overseas ballots were rejected for lateness at more than eight times the rate of domestic mail ballots, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.
    — Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 17 June 2026
  • This extreme lateness is really unnecessary and New York State should join 46 of its siblings and use the standard July 1 date (Texas, Alabama, Michigan have autumn dates).
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 May 2026
Definition of lateness
Noun
  • For so long, the Sixers have drawn something close to apathy.
    — Tony Jones, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • Of course Shanahan’s non-football injury won’t rewrite NFL safety policy, but its novelty (as twisted as that sounds) should strip away our collective apathy for just a moment.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 26 July 2026
Definition of apathy
Noun
  • The myth was always more inertia and bias than market reality.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 29 July 2026
  • The dead-weight committee, the report nobody reads, the standing call held together by inertia.
    — Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of inertia
Noun
  • Stranger by the Lake is a bookend of sorts to La Piscine, as both films seem to condemn their characters, and by extension, the counterculture surrounding them, to a lassitude incapable of any moral authority.
    — Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
  • The result of this lassitude is that cars still rule the streets.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 18 Apr. 2025
Definition of lassitude

Browse Nearby Words

sluggishly
sluggishness
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Cite this Entry

“Sluggishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sluggishness. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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