1
as in messy
lacking neatness in dress or person
a sloppy child who always seems to have spilled something on his clothes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in chaotic
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
dumped the papers in a sloppy pile on the desk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sentimental
appealing to the emotions in an obvious and tiresome way
a cinematic romance with a sloppy musical score that will have audiences reaching for their handkerchiefs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 sloppy
The Kamloops, British Columbia, native snuffed out a clean look less than two minutes in after DU had a sloppy turnover in its own D zone.
—
Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
The Stars looked sloppy Sunday on the second night of a back-to-back against two contending teams.
—Lia Assimakopoulos, Dallas Morning News, 22 Mar. 2026
Despite his near-perfect freshman campaign, Cameron Boozer had a sloppy tourney debut — 4-of-11 from the field, five unsightly turnovers.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
The pressure is mounting on manager Arne Slot after Liverpool’s sloppy draw with Spurs last weekend.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sloppy
Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
The Stars looked sloppy Sunday on the second night of a back-to-back against two contending teams.
—Lia Assimakopoulos, Dallas Morning News, 22 Mar. 2026
Despite his near-perfect freshman campaign, Cameron Boozer had a sloppy tourney debut — 4-of-11 from the field, five unsightly turnovers.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
The pressure is mounting on manager Arne Slot after Liverpool’s sloppy draw with Spurs last weekend.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sloppy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sloppy
Adjective
-
Beyond the hardware, it’s packed with AI features like Circle to Search for instant lookups and Handwriting Assist to tidy up your messy notes, all backed by a 20-hour battery that lasts well beyond the standard workday.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Things with Turner got messy quickly with custody issues rearing their head, but seemed to have settled down now.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The fan disappointment was echoed in the community dedicated to Barbie on Reddit, where many called out the organizers for such a chaotic event.—
Rebecca Cohen,
NBC news,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The footage captures a chaotic moment many pet owners recognize instantly—when curiosity tips over into trouble.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Multitracked saxophones swarm over a pit of molten bass frequencies, slipping between sentimental consonance—you might momentarily be reminded of Vangelis’ Blade Runner score—and eerie discord.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The church said the statues' monetary value may be relatively small, but their historical and sentimental significance is much greater.—
Jennifer McRae,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And this is where the movie takes off from retro mythology to become its own slovenly mod thing.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
4 Mar. 2026
-
To Washington, a beard made a man look unkempt and slovenly, masking the higher emotions that civility required.—
Maurizio Valsania,
The Conversation,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
When the director approached Hanks directly, the actor was confused.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
-
After catching confused glances all through Venice, traversing neighborhoods and winding along Abbott Kinney, the group landed at the home of Matt Ricotta.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Equal parts creature feature and Florida noir, Mermaid is sticky, sunburned, and defiantly strange.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Maurer imagines blending the fungi with Martian or lunar dirt; their sticky mycelia would cement it into an extraterrestrial equivalent of particle board.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Yellowing leaves can indicate overwatering, while wrinkled leaves can point to underwatering.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Space Marines are attempting to reclaim Kronus from the filthy xenos on the planet, leading a heroic charge into a massive Ork army as the Necrons rise again.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The woman was taken to the Fort Worth jail, by then best described as an old, filthy, rat-infested hole in the basement of city hall.—
Kevin Foster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sloppy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sloppy. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
