sluggish

[sluhg-ish]

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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.

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

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1. slow, slothful. See inactive.

Antonyms for sluggish

1. quick, active.

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

Related Words for sluggishly

lazily, languidly, sluggishly, densely, thickly, massively, blandly, calmly, comfortably, deliberately, easily, gradually, slowly, tardily, composedly, dilatorily, indolently, laggardly, lethargically, listlessly

Examples from the Web for sluggishly

Historical Examples of sluggishly

Crane watched Lauzanne go lazily, sluggishly down to the post for his race.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
It was then, for much of its distance, rather a dismal stream, sluggishly winding through marshes lined with alders.
The Adventures of the Chevalier De La Salle and His Companions, in Their Explorations of the Prairies, Forests, Lakes, and Rivers, of the New World, and Their Interviews with the Savage Tribes, Two Hundred Years Ago
John S. C. Abbott
In either case, they explain how it is that we have a world moving so sluggishly.
Lord Ormont and his Aminta, Complete
George Meredith
When removed in a dry test tube, they began to move about sluggishly.
Plague
Thomas Wright Jackson
The men came to sluggishly, their reactions pathetic and confused.
Deepfreeze
Robert Donald Locke

British Dictionary definitions for sluggishly

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 sluggishly

sluggish

adj.

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