sloppy
Americanadjective
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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:
This is an example of what Tuchel was likely eluding to when using the word "sloppy".
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
“It has been sloppy two of the last three games,” Roberts said of the errors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
Unerringly, they blame a sloppy and careless press or an ignorant public for failing to understand.
From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026
"We went through a stage where we weren't performing at our best. We were a bit sloppy in our play, but we have found a new way to play again," he said.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
Her eyes and nose were all red and sloppy.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
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
It was far sloppier and closer than predicted, but No. 5 USC and Caleb Williams improved to 4-0 with a 42-28 road win over Arizona State on Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2023
The more Tom Bolles bellowed at them through his megaphone, the sloppier they seemed to get.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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
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
But the traffic jams, track blockage, water on the racing surface and bumpy Nashville city streets all played a part in one of the sloppiest IndyCar races in years.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 5, 2022
The sloppiest Washington’s offense has looked came in late November when the team lost four of five games.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 2, 2021
I mostly filled mine with song lyrics, copied in my biggest, sloppiest handwriting.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
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.
