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
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Recent Examples of slovenly
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 9 Oct. 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
Slough House is headed by the slovenly, flatulent, and frequently intoxicated Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), who routinely heaps verbal abuse on his staff.
—Ars Staff, Ars Technica, 29 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for slovenly
Adjective
Corruption within the organization, after all, is as much a part of the show as Jackson Lamb’s slovenly habits and horrible diet.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 9 Oct. 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
Slough House is headed by the slovenly, flatulent, and frequently intoxicated Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), who routinely heaps verbal abuse on his staff.
—Ars Staff, Ars Technica, 29 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for slovenly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slovenly
Adjective
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But instead of looking shapeless or sloppy, Klum proves this formula can be quite modern and stylish when done with classic basics like a white shirt and jeans.—
Emma Mehl,
Glamour,
23 July 2025
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His hair’s not looking all sloppy in the morning anymore.—
Alyssa Cooper
July 8,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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The researchers found that climate shifts that underwrote the spread of grasslands allowed big sloths to arise, the shaggy mammals then altering those habitats to maintain open spaces best suited to big bodies capable of moving long distances.—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
11 July 2025
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The Saja Boys are memorable creations of their own, an over-the-top collection of shaggy haircuts, dewy faces, and bright streetwear that instantly invokes the heartthrobs of BTS or Stray Kids.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Most wine lovers know that the word Sauvignon comes from the French word sauvage and the word blanc simply means white, but most people don’t know the reason is because when untrained vines of the variety have a distinctly unkempt appearance.—
Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen,
Robb Report,
4 Nov. 2024
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But, as in these United States, the key question remains whether creeping totalitarianism — from the left and the right — will squeeze everyday people out of their inalienable right to just be their sometimes obnoxious, unkempt, idiosyncratic selves.—
Ed Wallace,
New York Daily News,
6 June 2024
Adjective
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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
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The expansive structure and its surrounding parking lots had fallen into an untidy appearance of weeds, peeling paint and visible graffiti on the exterior in recent years.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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But exactly the opposite needs to happen: the patient needs to enact her struggle in the room, to be messy, irrational, resentful, out of control.—
Leslie Jamison,
New Yorker,
4 Aug. 2025
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The company’s social-media posts seem to be aimed at Monday-hating, coffee-drinking workers who might log in to Zoom meetings from disastrously messy rooms or prefer to be outside, playing with buddies (or toys), rather than reporting to an office.—
Valerie Trapp,
The Atlantic,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slovenly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slovenly. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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