sluggish

English

Etymology

slug +‎ -ish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈslʌɡɪʃ/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Adjective

sluggish (comparative sluggisher or more sluggish, superlative sluggishest or most sluggish)

1. Habitually idle and lazy; slothful; dull; inactive

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:lazy

   a sluggish man

   • 1724, Pharmacopolæ Justificati: Or, Apothecaries Vindicated from the Imputation of Ignorance. […], London: […] J. Roberts, […], OCLC 990820804, page 6:

     [I]f he leaves the School poſſeſs'd of a ſluggiſh indolent Diſpoſition, and of Learning rather forc'd upon him than choſen, it is probable he will forget what he brought thence; but if he be active, emulous and aſpiring, he will certainly find Time for Reading and Thinking; for tho' it be a homely, it is a true Saying, that where there is a Will, there is a Way.

   • c. 1874, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ovid in Exile

     And the sluggish land slumbers in utter neglect.

   • 1910 January 12, Ameen Rihani, “On the Wharf of Enchantment”, in The Book of Khalid, New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead and Company, published October 1911, OCLC 6412012, book the first (In the Exchange), page 34:

     He helps us to understand the insignificant points which mark the rapid undercurrents of the seemingly sluggish soul of Khalid.

2. Slow; having little motion.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:slow

   Antonym: nimble

   • 1604 March 25 (first performance; Gregorian calendar)​, Benjamin Jonson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Part of the Kings Entertainment in Passing to His Coronation [The Coronation Triumph]”, in The Workes of Ben Jonson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, OCLC 960101342, page 850:

     Vp thou tame River, wake; / And from the liquid limbes this ſlumber ſhake: / Thou drownſ't thy ſelfe in inofficious ſleepe; / And theſe thy ſluggish waters ſeeme to creepe, / Rather than flow.

   • 1913, Paul Laurence Dunbar, At Sunset Time

     We float upon a sluggish stream,

     We ride no rapids mad,

     While life is all a tempered dream

     And every joy half sad.

3. Having no power to move oneself or itself; inert.
   • 1695, John Woodward, An Essay toward a Natural History of the Earth and Terrestrial Bodies

     Matter, being impotent, sluggish, and inactive, hath no power to stir or move itself.

4. Characteristic of a sluggard; dull; stupid; tame; simple.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:stupid

5. Exhibiting economic decline, inactivity, slow or subnormal growth.

   Inflation has been rising despite sluggish economy.

Derived terms

• sluggishly
• sluggishness
• sluggish schizophrenia
• unsluggish

 

Translations

habitually idle and lazy; slothful; dull; inactive

• Bulgarian: ленив (bg) (leniv), мързелив (bg) (mǎrzeliv)
• Chamicuro: achwayi
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 懶惰 (zh), 懒惰 (zh) (lǎnduò)

• Finnish: hidas (fi), laiska (fi), veltto (fi)
• Galician: lerdo, náparo, harón, zamarrón
• German: faul (de), schwach (de), inaktiv (de), lustlos (de), schwerfällig (de)
• Greek: νωθρός (el) (nothrós), άτονος (el) (átonos)

  Ancient: νωθρός (nōthrós), νωχελής (nōkhelḗs)

• Irish: ceanntrom

• Latin: languidus, ignavus
• Maori: ukauka
• Polish: rozlazły
• Portuguese: vadio (pt), vagabundo (pt)
• Russian: лени́вый (ru) (lenívyj), медли́тельный (ru) (medlítelʹnyj)
• Sanskrit: मन्दर (sa) (mandara)
• Slovene: len (sl)
• Spanish: perezoso (es), haragán (es), huevón (es), desganado (es), aburrido (es), inútil (es)
• Turkish: uyuşuk (tr), miskin (tr)

slow; having little motion

• Bulgarian: бавен (bg) (baven), муден (bg) (muden)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 緩慢 (zh), 缓慢 (zh) (huǎnmàn)

• Dutch: langzaam (nl)
• Finnish: hidas (fi), hiljainen (fi), heikko (fi)
• French: poussif (fr), faiblard (fr) (familiar)
• German: langsam (de), träge (de)
• Maori: pūtumu, hōtoa, pūroto, pūrotoroto, ukauka

• Portuguese: lento (pt), moroso (pt)
• Russian: ме́дленный (ru) (médlennyj)
• Slovene: počasen (sl)
• Spanish: lento (es), calmado (es), calmo (es)
• Turkish: aheste (tr), ağır (tr)

having no power to move oneself or itself; inert

• Finnish: jähmeä (fi), verkkainen (fi)
• French: rétamé (fr) (slang), naze (fr) (slang)
• German: schleppend (de), lahm (de), kraftlos (de)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: بێ تاقەت‎ (ku) (bê taqet)

• Maori: tūrūruhi

• Portuguese: inerte (pt)
• Russian: неповоротливый (ru) (nepovorotlivyj), инертный (ru) (inertnyj)
• Slovene: šibek (sl)
• Spanish: desganado (es) (persons), apagado (es) (persons, things), inerte (es)
• Turkish: durgun (tr), tutuk (tr)

characteristic of a sluggard; dull; stupid; tame; simple

• Finnish: hidas (fi), hidasälyinen (fi), verkkainen (fi)
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: νωθρός (nōthrós)

• Portuguese: devagar (pt)

• Russian: заторможенный (ru) (zatormožennyj)
• Spanish: lento (es), estúpido (es), tarado (es), pendejo (es)
• Turkish: miskin (tr), tutuk (tr)