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
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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.
Connecticut’s sluggish recovery from the 2008 housing bust, meanwhile, prompted home builders to flee.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Chinese tech giant Huawei's revenue growth slowed last year, its annual report showed Tuesday, as sales of the company's consumer devices plateaued against a backdrop of sluggish domestic consumption.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
Local media have often linked his rise to a pervasive anxiety in Chinese society, driven by a slowing economy and a sluggish youth employment rate.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
The company went public in 2024 and its shares have significantly underperformed since then, in part because of sluggish fragrance demand.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
She attacked the piano with a fervor completely different from her usual, sluggish self, and Matt liked to hide behind the potted plants to listen.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
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.
