sloven
Americannoun
-
a person who is habitually negligent of neatness or cleanliness in dress, appearance, etc.
-
a person who works, acts, speaks, etc., in a negligent, slipshod manner.
noun
Etymology
Origin of sloven
1400–50; late Middle English sloveyn, perhaps < Middle Dutch slof careless ( Dutch slof careless, sloven to toil) + -inne feminine noun suffix
Explanation
A sloven is a disgusting, sloppy person. If you call your messy roommate a sloven, expect him to be offended. You can use the noun sloven when you need a good word for a terrible slob. It's not a very common word, but it replaces pig very nicely when you're talking about a truly sloppy, unpleasant person. Sloven was first used in the fifteenth century to mean "person with horrible manners." Its origins are uncertain, but it probably stems from either the Flemish sloef, "dirty," or slof, which is Dutch for "careless or negligent."
Vocabulary lists containing sloven
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Shining
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Jazz
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
The agency’s report on her said she “had a very poor personal appearance, her clothes were sloven and dirty, and her hair was uncombed and matty, and she had a very offensive body odor.”
From Washington Times ● Nov. 25, 2018
Wouk described his hero as a cigar-smoking Kentucky coal trucker, huge, thick-featured and rustic, "a hulking sloven of twenty-six who had written an ugly bellowing dinosaur of a novel."
From Time Magazine Archive
Leaving traces of her sloven unhousebroken self all over the county.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
You're grown to be a sloven lately . . deliberately letting yourself be unhappy. edward. Is happiness under one's control? alice. My friend, you shouldn't neglect your happiness any more than you neglect to wash your face.
From Three Plays by Granville-Barker The Marrying of Ann Leete; The Voysey Inheritance; Waste by Granville-Barker, Harley
An approach to a more charitable view of the clergy is discoverable in the curate Mr. Larynx, who, if not extremely ghostly, is neither a sot nor a sloven.
From Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860 by Saintsbury, George
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.
