sluggish
Americanadjective
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indisposed to action or exertion; lacking in energy; lazy; indolent.
a sluggish disposition.
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not acting or working with full vigor, as bodily organs.
a sluggish liver.
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slow to act or respond.
a sluggish car engine.
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moving slowly, or having little motion, as a stream.
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slow, as motion.
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slack, as trade, business, or sales.
adjective
-
lacking energy; inactive; slow-moving
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functioning at below normal rate or level
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exhibiting poor response to stimulation
Related Words
See inactive.
Other Word Forms
- sluggishly adverb
- sluggishness noun
- unsluggish adjective
- unsluggishly adverb
- unsluggishness noun
Etymology
Origin of sluggish
First recorded in 1400–50, sluggish is from the late Middle English word slugissh. See slug 1, -ish 1
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.
Companies focused on pantry staples, where private labels have been taking share, were hurt the most with sluggish or even declining sales.
From Barron's
For employers, higher minimum wage costs and National Insurance contributions announced last year mean they're footing higher costs in an economy with sluggish growth.
From BBC
Unfortunately next year doesn’t look much better, with the Street nearly universally seeing another tough setup for staples, particularly packaged food, which has continued to be one of the most sluggish areas of the sector.
From Barron's
Unfortunately next year doesn’t look much better, with the Street nearly universally seeing another tough setup for staples, particularly packaged food, which has continued to be one of the most sluggish areas of the sector.
From Barron's
The data was reassuring for investors who have grown concerned that a sluggish labor market could start to hit the American consumer harder.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
