sluggish
Americanadjective
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indisposed to action or exertion; lacking in energy; lazy; indolent.
a sluggish disposition.
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not acting or working with full vigor, as bodily organs.
a sluggish liver.
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slow to act or respond.
a sluggish car engine.
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moving slowly, or having little motion, as a stream.
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slow, as motion.
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slack, as trade, business, or sales.
adjective
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lacking energy; inactive; slow-moving
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functioning at below normal rate or level
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exhibiting poor response to stimulation
Related Words
See inactive.
Other Word Forms
- sluggishly adverb
- sluggishness noun
- unsluggish adjective
- unsluggishly adverb
- unsluggishness noun
Etymology
Origin of sluggish
First recorded in 1400–50, sluggish is from the late Middle English word slugissh. See slug 1, -ish 1
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 combination of sluggish international segment growth coupled with the highest valuation in the software-as-a-service space leads Benchmark to remain sidelined for now.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
She said she woke up feeling sick, sluggish and heavy.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
“Markets will watch for any improvement from the sluggish 0.6% year-on-year growth rate in 2025,” ING economists said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
“A sluggish U.S. consumer faces a global oil shock,” as TD Cowen Chief U.S.
From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026
It was the scuffling outside in the hallway that pulled his attention away from the sluggish journey of the second hand.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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.
