Illustration of sloth
- sloth 2
plural sloths
ˈslȯths 
ˈslȯṯẖz,
ˈsläths,
ˈsläṯẖz,
also ˈslōths,
ˈslōṯẖz
1
a
: disinclination to action or labor : indolence
b
: spiritual apathy and inactivity
the deadly sin of sloth
2
: any of various slow-moving arboreal edentate mammals (genera Bradypus and Choloepus) that inhabit tropical forests of South and Central America, hang from the branches back downward, and feed on leaves, shoots, and fruits compare three-toed sloth, two-toed sloth
Examples of sloth in a Sentence
the sins of gluttony and sloth
a youth inclined more toward sloth than athletics
Recent Examples on the Web
The brightly colored animal creations depict everything from sloths and raccoons to birds, elephants and giraffes.
—
Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2025
In the minute-long clip, human-like sloth football fans try navigating the world at the start of the work week after the Super Bowl.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 3 Feb. 2025
There's a folder on his computer just for photos of sad sloths.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 19 Mar. 2025
Making a better avocado took giant sloths and mastodons
A lot has gone into creating the millions of bowls of guacamole and plates of avocado toast Americans enjoy each year.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sloth
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2025
In the minute-long clip, human-like sloth football fans try navigating the world at the start of the work week after the Super Bowl.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 3 Feb. 2025
There's a folder on his computer just for photos of sad sloths.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 19 Mar. 2025
Making a better avocado took giant sloths and mastodons
A lot has gone into creating the millions of bowls of guacamole and plates of avocado toast Americans enjoy each year.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sloth
Cite this Entry
“Sloth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sloth. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
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