as in slug
a lazy person
tried to wake up the sluggards who were still sleeping at that late hour
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in slothful
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of 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
Moneyshow, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2021
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
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Providing ample shade and maintaining healthy soil can help prevent issues, including occasional damage from slugs and snails, root rot, and powdery mildew.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Feb. 2026
-
To make this mulch, crush broken terracotta pieces into smaller chunky shards and scatter them around snail and slug-vulnerable plants, including lettuces, hostas, or strawberries.—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That they would be regarded as slothful morons who aren't worth the price of a ticket of admission.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Soviet Russia, too, experienced periodic panics about slothful bureaucrats impeding the dictatorship of the proletariat.—
Charlie Tyson,
The New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
There are close-ups of hands kneading dough, a snail sliming its way up a window and Cathy prodding a jellied fish with her finger.—
Emily Zemler,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Pest Control with Cardboard Slugs and snails are drawn to cool, damp cardboard.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Chef Velázquez recommends this sandy destination to get together with family and friends for a lazy day at the beach.—
Lauren Sanchez,
Vogue,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The destination features the Loco Waterpark, the world’s longest lazy river and seven distinct neighborhoods.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This delay has raised concerns about the safety of robots, drones, and autonomous vehicles operating in unpredictable environments.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Aguilar has specifically faced sharp scrutiny in recent months by councilmembers who have encouraged the director to focus on pressing issues like surveillance cameras and drone policies.—
Sierra Lopez,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Every 4:3 shot is framed to maximize the social verticality of the club, and every sequence is edited to evoke the indolent energy of a hot car on a hot summer’s day.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
23 Jan. 2026
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There are two types: Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which can be aggressive or indolent, according to the Cleveland Clinic.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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His discoveries promise to upset the gaming tables of every school of thought that wagers on new and untested art for idlers’ rewards: the love of novelty, the will to make or unmake reputations, the wish to be hip or au courant.—
Mark Greif,
Harper's Magazine,
26 July 2024
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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
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
-
The film, like How to Train Your Dragon, is about a shiftless youngster (Lilo, a Hawaiian girl who has been acting out since the death of her parents) bonding with a fantasy creature (Stitch, a blue alien experiment designed as a weapon of destruction).—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sluggard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sluggard. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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