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definitions

sluggish

[sluhg-ish]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sluggish ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

indisposed to action or exertion; lacking in energy; lazy; indolent: a sluggish disposition.
not acting or working with full vigor, as bodily organs: a sluggish liver.
slow to act or respond: a sluggish car engine.
moving slowly, or having little motion, as a stream.
slow, as motion.
slack, as trade, business, or sales.

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RELATED WORDS

heavy, slow, slack, inactive, listless, stagnant, lethargic, apathetic, blah, comatose, dopey, down, dragging, indolent, inert, laid-back, languid, leaden, lifeless, lumpish

Origin of sluggish

First recorded in 1400–50, sluggish is from the late Middle English word slugissh. See slug1, -ish1
Related formsslug·gish·ly, adverbslug·gish·ness, nounun·slug·gish, adjectiveun·slug·gish·ly, adverbun·slug·gish·ness, noun

Synonyms for sluggish

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sluggish ON THESAURUS.COM
1. slow, slothful. See inactive.

Antonyms for sluggish

1. quick, active.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sluggish

Contemporary Examples of sluggish

Historical Examples of sluggish

  • He wrestled with the big and sluggish stone, as if it had been a living enemy.

    Tanglewood Tales

    Nathaniel Hawthorne

  • And how, on the other hand, are we to strengthen it, to quicken its sluggish blood?

    The Book of Khalid

    Ameen Rihani

  • The cold air entering by the open window, whipped his sluggish blood.

    Therese Raquin

    Emile Zola

  • When the climate was warm they were active; when the climate was cold they were sluggish.

    The Meaning of Evolution

    Samuel Christian Schmucker

  • A thousand feet below was the white lake, sluggish and dead.

    The Martian Cabal

    Roman Frederick Starzl

British Dictionary definitions for sluggish

sluggish

adjective

lacking energy; inactive; slow-moving
functioning at below normal rate or level
exhibiting poor response to stimulation
Derived Formssluggishly, adverbsluggishness, 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 sluggish
adj.

mid-15c., from Middle English slugge "lazy person" (see sluggard) + -ish. Earlier adjective was sluggi (early 13c.). Related: Sluggishly; sluggishness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper