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
In addition, 64 years ago, the first isolation of the virus in Brazil was in a sick sloth near the construction of the Belem-Brasilia highway.
—
Geraldine Castro, WIRED, 20 Dec. 2024
This illustration depicts giant sloths, humans and mastodons living alongside one another in central Brazil 27,000 years ago, during the Pleistocene period.
—CBS News, 20 Dec. 2024
It has sometimes been called sloth fever because scientists first investigating the virus found it in a three-toed sloth, and believed sloths were important in its spread between insects and animals.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 28 Aug. 2024
At its worst, sloth fosters complacency and resistance to change, leading to stagnation and missed opportunities.
—Sandro Da Silva, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sloth 
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Geraldine Castro, WIRED, 20 Dec. 2024
This illustration depicts giant sloths, humans and mastodons living alongside one another in central Brazil 27,000 years ago, during the Pleistocene period.
—CBS News, 20 Dec. 2024
It has sometimes been called sloth fever because scientists first investigating the virus found it in a three-toed sloth, and believed sloths were important in its spread between insects and animals.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 28 Aug. 2024
At its worst, sloth fosters complacency and resistance to change, leading to stagnation and missed opportunities.
—Sandro Da Silva, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sloth
Articles Related to sloth
Dictionary Entries Near sloth
Cite this Entry
“Sloth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sloth. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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