sluggard

American  

[sluhg-erd] / ˈslʌg ərd /

noun

1. a person who is habitually inactive or lazy.

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adjective

1. lazy; sluggardly.

sluggard British  

/ ˈslʌɡəd /

noun

1. a person who is habitually indolent

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adjective

1. lazy

Other Word Forms

• sluggardliness noun
• sluggardly adjective
• sluggardness noun

Etymology

Origin of sluggard

First recorded in 1350–1400, sluggard is from the Middle English word slogarde. See slug ¹, -ard

Example Sentences

Hyperion yelled to the surrounding crowd: “Group A-22! Hurry up, you sluggards!”

From Literature

Mice that received plasma from the jogging rodents also performed better on memory tests than did those injected with plasma from the sluggards.

From Science Magazine

She spends every moment in his presence lashing him verbally; he absorbs every blow with a sluggard’s indifference.

From Los Angeles Times

With television’s new proximity to the more puritanical uses of our devices, the archetype of the beached sluggard on the couch has been smuggled into a portrait of diligence.

From The New Yorker

Its citizens were viewed as sluggards, “cowardly Blockheads” in the words of one early writer.

From New York Times