sloppy

American  

[slop-ee] / ˈslɒp i /

adjective

sloppier, sloppiest

1. muddy, slushy, or very wet.

   The field was a sloppy mess after the rain.

2. splashed or soiled with liquid.

   Synonyms:

   messy

3. careless; loose.

   sloppy writing.

   Synonyms:

   slipshod

4. untidy; slovenly.

   sloppy clothes; a sloppy eater.

   Synonyms:

   slatternly, messy

5. overly emotional; gushy.

   sloppy sentimentality.

6. (of food or drink) prepared or served in an unappetizing way.

7. (of clothes) loose-fitting; baggy.

   a big, sloppy sweater.

8. (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.

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sloppy British  

/ ˈslɒpɪ /

adjective

1. (esp of ground conditions, etc) wet; slushy

2. informal careless; untidy

3. informal mawkishly sentimental

4. (of food or drink) watery and unappetizing

5. splashed with slops

6. (of clothes) loose; baggy

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Other Word Forms

• sloppily adverb
• sloppiness noun

Etymology

Origin of sloppy

First recorded in 1700–10; slop ¹ + -y ¹

Example Sentences

But work in the field didn’t pan out: Posted to Israel in the early 1950s, Mitrokhin was part of a spy group that was tainted by accusations of sloppy tradecraft.

From The Wall Street Journal

Pep Guardiola admitted Manchester City paid the price for their sloppy finishing in a 0-0 draw against Sunderland that dealt a major blow to their title hopes on Thursday.

From Barron's

He needs to avoid sloppy turnovers to avoid a repeat.

From BBC

“Peacemaker” creator James Gunn is fully aware of the music’s association with stinky Spandex, spittle and sloppy beer drunks.

From Salon

Calling every year-end rally a Santa Claus rally is simply sloppy thinking.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• awkward
• careless
• clumsy
• dirty
• mediocre
• muddy
• poor
• wet