as in sloppy
lacking neatness in dress or person
for the sake of their image, the band members transformed themselves from clean-cut lads to slovenly rockers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sloppily
in a careless or unfashionable manner
an employee who went overboard on dress-down day and was reprimanded for dressing slovenly on the job
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of slovenly
Frank Fellone, Arkansas Online, 2 May 2025
Slough House is headed by the slovenly, flatulent, and frequently intoxicated Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), who routinely heaps verbal abuse on his staff but is nonetheless a brilliant spymaster in his own smelly way.
—Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024
Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slovenly
Adjective
Disappointed Steve Dear Steve: The real disappointment comes from slovenly people who throw trash onto our highways, or fail to properly secure their cargo.
—Frank Fellone, Arkansas Online, 2 May 2025
Slough House is headed by the slovenly, flatulent, and frequently intoxicated Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), who routinely heaps verbal abuse on his staff but is nonetheless a brilliant spymaster in his own smelly way.
—Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024
Adverb
It’s cropped with puffy sleeves that land at or above the wrist instead of hanging slovenly over your hands.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slovenly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slovenly
Adjective
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This was a better defensive effort for the Stars than their sloppy defeat Tuesday night at home against New Jersey.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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The Lakers relied on another part-time G League contributor to carry them through a sloppy fourth quarter.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Miss Manners is at least relieved that your family’s transgressions are limited to eating sloppily, which doesn’t harm others.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
23 Feb. 2026
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Louisville sped to a 10-3 lead before Virginia surged ahead with 11 unanswered points as the Cardinals went cold and played sloppily for one stretch.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Yellowing leaves can indicate overwatering, while wrinkled leaves can point to underwatering.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
8 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Some major airports across the country in Houston, Austin, New Orleans and more have seen chaotically long security lines in the wake of the shutdown, which coincided with a busy spring break travel period.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Mar. 2026
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But just as there’s a difference between depicting chaos and depicting chaotically, there’s a difference between presenting theatergoers with a realistic image of mental illness and driving an audience nuts.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This shaggy short bob is so stylish with the addition of razored curtain bangs.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
30 Mar. 2026
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Using a fork, gradually draw the flour into the liquid until a shaggy dough begins to form.—
Monti Carlo,
AJC.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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On Ocean Drive where the Art Deco hotels still have spectacular ocean views but have mostly small, unkempt rooms.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
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Mitski is the writer of these songs, but the speaker is someone else, a reclusive woman who resides in an unkempt house.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The expansion of the humanitarian system was untidy and asymmetric, driven by the organizational self-interest of the bigger international NGOs and UN agencies involved in crisis response and their desire for greater market share.—
Time,
Time,
26 Feb. 2026
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An early version of the best dessert in the house was a great-tasting but untidy wet block of orange cake the size of a solitaire deck with a ping-pong scoop of chocolate ice cream.—
Mike Sutter,
San Antonio Express-News,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Slovenly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slovenly. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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