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 combination of climate shifts, mountain uplift and vegetation changes created environments where sloths could evolve into a variety of forms—including multiple times when sloths became giants again.
—
Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 July 2025
Shell fossils are common, as are much younger Ice Age fossils from land animals, such as mastodons and sloths.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 19 May 2025
Belonging to the same group of mammals as sloths and anteaters, armadillos are voracious insectivores that eat large numbers of beetles, grubs, ants, termites, and other insects, grabbing them with their sticky tongues.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 July 2025
This remains a place where crabs crawl out of the water at sunset, stingrays swim around surfers in the Pacific, and languidly smiling sloths—the national mascot—remind us all to slow down.
—Laura Dannen Redman, AFAR Media, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for sloth
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Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 July 2025
Shell fossils are common, as are much younger Ice Age fossils from land animals, such as mastodons and sloths.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 19 May 2025
Belonging to the same group of mammals as sloths and anteaters, armadillos are voracious insectivores that eat large numbers of beetles, grubs, ants, termites, and other insects, grabbing them with their sticky tongues.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 July 2025
This remains a place where crabs crawl out of the water at sunset, stingrays swim around surfers in the Pacific, and languidly smiling sloths—the national mascot—remind us all to slow down.
—Laura Dannen Redman, AFAR Media, 16 July 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 28 Aug. 2025.
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