SLUGGARD Synonyms: 111 Similar and Opposite Words

sluggard 1 of 2

noun

ˈslə-gərd

Definition of sluggard

as in slug

a lazy person tried to wake up the sluggards who were still sleeping at that late hour

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sluggard

2 of 2

adjective

as in slothful

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Dissimilar Words

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 sluggard

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

Home runs are king in the postseason, but that’s where Caminero comes in, with Liam Hicks, Yandy Díaz and Jonathan Aranda also offering some slug.

— Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Trim back the dead foliage in fall to improve your garden’s appearance and prevent slug eggs from overwintering.

— Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of slug

Noun

At Malate Church in Manila, parishioners marked the feast by bringing their beloved pets for a special blessing — mostly dogs but also cats and even a pet snail.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026
The inflatable horses, butterflies, snails and other creatures were made by the New York artist and designer Katie Stout.

— Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of snail

Adjective

All is peaceful under the long, lazy loggia laden with vibrant fuschia bougainvillaea – the Passeggiata dei Monaci – and in the neat orchards low-hanging with fat, bobbly Amalfi lemons.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
With the White Sox clinging to a one-run lead, Anthony Kay erased Yordan Alvarez on a lineout and got Jose Altuve to hit a lazy fly ball, ending the threat.

— Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of lazy

Noun

The South London artist channels Disney soundtrack tropes into claustrophobic strings and drones, while a handful of vocal tracks hint darkly at real-world family drama.

— Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026
Sobyanin later reported 68 more drones targeting Moscow were downed during daylight on Tuesday morning.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of drone

Adjective

Screenings in healthy adults are also more likely to catch indolent disease, meaning slow-growing or static conditions, than aggressive ones.

— Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Sep. 2026
Possibly a deepening and widening of populist politics, as both the far right and the far left win over more of the allegedly indolent youth.

— Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of indolent

Noun

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
This represents the loss of an idea of what the capital should represent, the removal of a place that was an idler’s haven.

— Anandi Mishra, The Atlantic, 30 July 2022

Definition of idler

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
After the volunteers slink back to Paddy’s, the most shiftless person on campus will once again be Principal Coleman (Janelle James), whose ineptitude and vanity don’t prevent her from advocating for the students from time to time.

— Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2025

Definition of shiftless

Browse Nearby Words

slugfests

sluggard

sluggardly

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“Sluggard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sluggard. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of sluggard

noun

adjective

Example Sentences

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