slovenly

[sluhv-uhn-lee]

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adjective, slov·en·li·er, slov·en·li·est.

untidy or unclean in appearance or habits.
characteristic of a sloven; slipshod: slovenly work.

adverb

in an untidy, careless, or slipshod manner.

Origin of slovenly

First recorded in 1505–15; sloven + -ly

Related formsslov·en·li·ness, noun

Synonyms for slovenly

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1. sluttish, slatternly. 2. careless, loose, disorderly.

Antonyms for slovenly

1. neat. 2. careful.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for slovenliness

messiness, untidiness, disorganization

Examples from the Web for slovenliness

Historical Examples of slovenliness

Books were strewn here and there, but there was no slovenliness or untidiness; and, ha!
My New Curate
P.A. Sheehan
Too little attention to dress and surroundings is slovenliness.
Practical Ethics
William DeWitt Hyde
"This is not disorder, but the usual Russian slovenliness," Markelov replied gloomily.
Virgin Soil
Ivan S. Turgenev
It may be marked by neatness and propriety, or by slovenliness and want of taste.
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, February 1900
Various
Griseldas raggedness must not be construed into slovenliness.
Chaucer for Children
Mrs. H. R. Haweis

British Dictionary definitions for slovenliness

slovenly

adjective

frequently or habitually unclean or untidy
negligent and careless; slipshodslovenly manners

adverb

in a negligent or slovenly manner

Derived Formsslovenliness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for slovenliness

slovenly

adj.

1510s, "low, base, lewd," later "untidy, dirty" (1560s), from sloven + -ly (1). Related: Slovenliness; also in this sense was slovenry (1540s), which OED reports in common use early 17c.