slovenly
Syllables: slo·ven·ly/ˈslʌv.ən.li/
slovenly adjective: having an untidy appearance; unkempt.
Adjective
slovenly (comparative slovenlier, superlative slovenliest)
- Having an untidy appearance; unkempt.
- The same marks of indolence appeared in the care of his person; for every part of his dress was generally in disorder; and, though he was well made and handsome, yet his slovenly appearance made him disgustful to every one.1796, “The Unexpected Reformation”, in The Blossoms of Morality, page 35
- Which would you sooner employ, a boy who was plainly, yet neatly clad, or one who had a slovenly appearance, though dressed in fine clothes?1857, M[arcellus] F. Cowdery, “Lesson XVI. Be Neat.”, in Elementary Moral Lessons For Schools and Families, Philadelphia: H. Cowperthwait & Co., page 132
- Dirty, unwashed; disorderly.
- Careless or negligent; sloppy.
- You say my pamphlet betrays the most slovenly rashness. But where is your proof?1848 April, Joseph Barker, The Christian, volume IV, number XC/XCI
- British goods have often been despatched in such careless and slovenly fashion that they arrived half broken. The same goods supplied by Germans were packed with such admirable care that they reached their destination quite safely.1909 June, “Character Sketch. Sir Robert Stout; or, 'Tis Forty-Six Years Since.”, in W. T. Stead, editor, The Review of Reviews, volume XXXIX, →OCLC
Adverb
slovenly (comparative more slovenly, superlative most slovenly)
- In a slovenly manner.
slovenly meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali
slovenly in Hindi
- slovenly, lazy, slow
- लीचड़ līcaṛ
- slovenly, lazy
- लीचड़ līcaṛ
slovenly in Tamil
- சாம்பற்குண்டி, அழுக்கான
slovenly in Urdu
- دہقانی, ڈھیلا, پھوہڑ
slovenly in Bengali
- অপরিচ্ছন্ন, নোংরা, অগোছালো
More languagesFewer languages
- slovenly in Telugu
- తారుమారు tārumāru
- slovenly in Malayalam
- വൃത്തികെട്ട, ഉദാസീനമായ, അലസമായി, അശ്രദ്ധമായി
- slovenly in Kannada
- ಕೊಳಕಾದ, ಅಸಹ್ಯವಾದ, ಹೊಲಸಾದ, ಶುಚಿಯಿರದ
Forms of slovenly
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | slovenlier |
| superlative | slovenliest |
| Adverb | |
| comparative | more slovenly |
| superlative | most slovenly |
Origin of slovenly
From sloven + -ly.
Words formed from slovenly
Questions about slovenly
- What does slovenly mean?
- Slovenly means having an untidy appearance; unkempt.
- What is slovenly in Hindi?
- Slovenly in Hindi is लीचड़ (līcaṛ). See Slovenly meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is slovenly?
- Slovenly can be an adjective or an adverb.
- How do you pronounce slovenly?
- Slovenly is pronounced /ˈslʌv.ən.li/ (UK).
Words near slovenly in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: slovenly (page history and authors); लीचड़ (Hindi) (page history and authors); slovenly (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); slovenly (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); slovenly (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); తారుమారు (Telugu) (page history and authors); slovenly (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); slovenly (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-slovenly.wav.
Cite this entry: “slovenly.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/slovenly. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.