sloppy
Americanadjective
-
sloppier,
comparative
-
sloppiest
superlative
-
muddy, slushy, or very wet.
The field was a sloppy mess after the rain.
-
splashed or soiled with liquid.
- Synonyms:
- messy
-
careless; loose.
sloppy writing.
- Synonyms:
- slipshod
-
untidy; slovenly.
sloppy clothes; a sloppy eater.
- Synonyms:
- slatternly, messy
-
overly emotional; gushy.
sloppy sentimentality.
-
(of food or drink) prepared or served in an unappetizing way.
-
(of clothes) loose-fitting; baggy.
a big, sloppy sweater.
-
(of the surface of a racetrack) wet from a recent or continuing heavy rain and containing puddles and mud still too thin and watery to be sticky.
adjective
-
(esp of ground conditions, etc) wet; slushy
-
informal careless; untidy
-
informal mawkishly sentimental
-
(of food or drink) watery and unappetizing
-
splashed with slops
-
(of clothes) loose; baggy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of sloppy
Explanation
Sloppy means "untidy" or "messy." If your bedroom has clothes all over the floor, it's sloppy. And, if you end up with food all over your shirt every time you eat something, you're sloppy. Besides "out of order" or "not clean," sloppy can also mean "careless" or "overemotional." So you might do a sloppy job on an important paper for school. Or you might go to a sad movie and cry while you watch it, even though you know it's sloppy and sentimental. The original 18th century meaning of this adjective was simply "muddy." And before it meant "ground beef sandwich on a bun," a sloppy joe was a "loose, messy sweater."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Two innings later, the Dodgers took the lead again, rewarded for hard contact as the Brewers’ defense showed its first signs of sloppy play.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
An independent auditor this summer called the city out for sloppy bookkeeping and noted that it had spent more than what was planned for in previous budgets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
The amateurs can be sloppy or reckless, though.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
It was not all plain-sailing for Sabalenka as she lost serve in a sloppy fourth game, but reasserted her authority with two more breaks as Iatchenko was taught a harsh lesson.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
It was sloppy and hot, pink and black, smelling indescribably and seemingly full of huge yellowed teeth.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
But if the early results—and my own scrolling habits—are anything to go by, it’s about to get a lot sloppier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2025
This boosts the formation of the collagen network, but also results in a sloppier, less optimal collagen network.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 8, 2024
They couldn’t have been much sloppier on Christmas Day.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 25, 2023
Yet even as the Suns became the sloppier team, they were also the better at making the possessions they did have count.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2023
Though they didn’t hit the bull’s-eyes, and their shots got sloppier the farther the target, whoever their masters had been, they’d known what they were teaching.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
Corrain also admitted to making up "the world's sloppiest chat with a non-existent friend who was supposedly to blame, and sent fake apologies for the actions of said 'friend,' which only made things worse."
From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2023
But Biskind can also get sloppy, and “Pandora’s Box” finds him at his sloppiest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2023
Charlotte Towner said of her American bully XL Coco: "She's just the sloppiest, dopiest dog I've ever owned. She's great with other people, her only downside is she gets excited when she sees people."
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2023
That isn’t the case against bad teams such as the Sharks, Ducks and Blackhawks, whom the Kraken have already defeated 8-5, 5-4 and 8-5 respectively in some of their sloppiest games this season.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2023
I mostly filled mine with song lyrics, copied in my biggest, sloppiest handwriting.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
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