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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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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The three-part Season 5 premiere feels incredibly sloppy to me overall.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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With that history and with Aaron Glenn trying to deliver a message just one game into his head coaching career, Gipson will serve as the example to the rest of the Jets' roster that sloppy turnovers will not be tolerated.—
Michael Hurley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 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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An inner radiative zone (makes up 70 percent of the Sun by radius), where energy flows smoothly and the whole region spins together like a solid ball, and the outer convective zone (the remaining 30 percent), where hot gases swirl chaotically and spin at different speeds depending on location.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
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Where most fields twist chaotically and scramble the signal, Punctum’s fields are highly aligned.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Grand Prize Bird Photos The Grand Prize Winner for the new Colombia and Chile category was awarded to this image of a blue-and-gray kingfisher flying out of the water, creating a splash around its wet body, shaggy crest, white collar and rufous belly.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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Larsa Pippen milled around the outskirts while Lindsay Lohan, in a silky slip dress and a shaggy cream coat, was spotted smiling and posing for photos with the brand's fashion director Tara Rudes Dann.—
Anika Reed,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The state police photos show a typical off-campus residence – albeit a little on the unkempt side, with cases of alcohol littering the common areas, a folding table set up for beer pong, and empty cans on the floor.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
23 Aug. 2025
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If Washington streets and public places are unkempt and unsafe, who will venture to go there?—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But having a lineup of bottles and jars on the counter looks a little untidy.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
3 Aug. 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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Now that the series is streaming on Netflix, fans old and new are curious to see what the cast of Nashville has been up to since that messy series finale.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Sep. 2025
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This song encourages them to get messy, play, and have fun with this staple activity of the Halloween season.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slovenly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slovenly. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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