sloth

American  

[slawth, slohth] / slɔθ, sloʊθ /

noun

1. habitual disinclination to exertion; laziness; indolence.

   Indifference, negligence, and sloth have no place in the classroom.

   Synonyms:

   idleness

2. any of several slow-moving, arboreal, tropical American edentates of the family Bradypodidae, having a long, coarse, grayish-brown coat often of a greenish cast caused by algae, and long, hooklike claws used in gripping tree branches while hanging or moving along in a habitual upside-down position.

3. a pack or group of bears.

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sloth British  

/ sləʊθ /

noun

1. any of several shaggy-coated arboreal edentate mammals of the family Bradypodidae, esp Bradypus tridactylus ( three-toed sloth or ai ) or Choloepus didactylus ( two-toed sloth or unau ), of Central and South America. They are slow-moving, hanging upside down by their long arms and feeding on vegetation

2. reluctance to work or exert oneself

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Etymology

Origin of sloth

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English slowth; replacing Old English slǣwth, derivative of slǣw, variant of slāw “slow”; slow, -th ¹

Example Sentences

She gave a little bit of egg to the sloth sitting next to her plate.

From Literature

Zed stands out in part because he didn’t get stuck in this tar like most of the dire wolves, sabertooth cats and 3,000-pound sloths embedded in the main pits.

From The Wall Street Journal

The nurse was a sloth, though, so it would take half a day for her to get out there with even a Band-Aid.

From Literature

I would wake earlier, but I think in a past life I was a two-toed sloth or something because I’m nocturnal and I move very slowly.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr Tardy captured a brown‑throated three‑toed sloth clinging to a barbed wire post after crossing a road.

From BBC