sloth Meaning & Definition
What Does Sloth Mean?
Sloth is a noun that means disinclination to action or labor. It is also used to mean spiritual apathy and inactivity.
Quick Facts About Sloth
| Part of speech | noun |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈslȯth/ |
| Syllables | 1 |
| Synonyms | acedia, slothfulness and laziness |
| Antonyms | drive, industriousness and industry |
| Plural | sloths |
Sloth Definition (Noun)
- disinclination to action or labor : indolence
- spiritual apathy and inactivity
the deadly sin of sloth
- any of various slow-moving arboreal edentate mammals (genera Bradypus and Choloepus) that inhabit tropical forests of South and Central America, hang from the branches back downward, and feed on leaves, shoots, and fruits compare three-toed sloth, two-toed sloth
Synonyms of Sloth
Sloth synonyms and antonyms →Antonyms of Sloth
Sloth in a Sentence
Hot summer days inspire a sense of sloth in me.
He has been slothing this whole weekend.
the deadly sin of sloth
a youth inclined more toward sloth than athletics
Word Forms & Grammar
sloths
sloth
sloth (countable and uncountable, plural sloths)
sloth (third-person singular simple present sloths, present participle slothing, simple past and past participle slothed)
Words That Rhyme With Sloth
Origin of Sloth
Origin 1: Middle English slouthe, from slow slow
Origin 2: From Middle English slouthe, slewthe (“laziness”), from Old English slǣwþ (“sloth, indolence, laziness, inertness, torpor”), from Proto-West Germanic *slaiwiþu, from Proto-Germanic *slaiwiþō (“slowness, lateness”), equivalent to slow + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Cognate with Scots sleuth (“sloth, slowness”).
First Known Use
12th century
Sloth Pronunciation
You say sloth as /ˈslȯth/. It has 1 syllable.
Common Questions About Sloth
What part of speech is sloth?
Sloth is a noun.
What is another word for sloth?
Close synonyms of sloth are acedia, slothfulness and laziness. See the full list of sloth synonyms and antonyms.
What is the opposite of sloth?
The opposite of sloth can be expressed with words like drive, industriousness, industry and ambition.
What is the plural of sloth?
The plural of sloth is sloths.