Synonyms of sluggish
120 similar words · 1 opposite word
Another word for sluggish is bone-idle. Other synonyms of sluggish are lazy, inert, idle, slothful and lethargic. The opposite of sluggish is nimble.
Synonyms and similar words for sluggish
adjectiveHabitually idle and lazy; slothful; dull; inactive.
- bone-idleUtterly lazy.
- fainéant literary
- idleAverse to work, labor or employment; lazy; slothful.
- indolent
- inertSluggish or lethargic.
- lackadaisicalLazy; slothful; indolent.
- lazySluggish; slow-moving.
- otioseReluctant to work or to exert oneself.
- slothfulLazy; idle; tending to sloth.
- swear dialectalDull; lazy; slow.
- torpidLazy, lethargic or apathetic.
- work-shy
- lither archaic, dialectalLazy, slothful; listless.
adjectiveSlow; having little motion.
- crawlingThe motion of something that crawls.
- slack
- slow-moving
- languid
- languorousLacking energy, spirit, liveliness or vitality; languid, lackadaisical.
- draggy
- tardy literary
- creepingThe act of something that creeps.
- dreich ScotlandSlow, sluggish; specifically, of a person: tending to delay or procrastinate (especially when paying for something).
- gastropodousOf or pertaining to gastropods (snails and the like).
- glacial
- heavy-footedSlow-moving.
- inchingVery gradual movement.
- labored
- leadenResembling the ponderousness of lead, sluggish.
- lead-footed
- lethargicSluggish, slow.
- low-speedThat operates, moves or takes place at less than normal speed.
- lumbering
- ploddingProgressing slowly and laboriously.
- pokey
- ponderous
- slothlikeResembling or characteristic of a sloth, especially in being slow and sluggish.
- slow
- slow as a snailExtremely slow.
- slow as ChristmasVery slow.
- slow as molasses
- slow as molasses in JanuaryExtremely slow.
- slowfootedProceeding (as with a task) at a slow pace.
- stately
- steady
- subglacial informalMoving at a rate allegedly slower than a glacier; extremely slow.
- sullenSluggish; slow.
- tardigradeSluggish; moving slowly.
- tediousBoring, monotonous, time-consuming, wearisome, livelong.
- testudineous
- turtleish
- turtlesque
- unspeedySlow, not speedy; taking considerable time.
adjectiveCharacteristic of a sluggard; dull; stupid; tame; simple.
- addlebrainedSynonym of addlepated.
- addlepatedAddled; confused; stupid; flustered.
- airheaded
- bee-brainedExtremely stupid.
- beef-wittedStupid; dull.
- soft informal
- beefheadedStupid; dull-witted.
- beetle-headedMentally dull; stupid.
- birdbrainedSilly and frivolous; empty-headed.
- blockheadedResembling a blockhead; stupid.
- Boeotian
- boneheadedResembling or characteristic of a bonehead.
- boofheaded
- braindead
- brainless
- bubbleheadedStupid; vacuous.
- buffle-headed
- bullet-headed
- cerebrally challengedOf low intelligence; stupid.
- childish
- chowderheadedStupid; foolish; lacking in common sense.
- chuckleheadedStupid, idiotic.
- crackbrainedIdiotic.
- cretinousCharacteristic of a cretin; very stupid.
- daft
- dense
- dented
- dim-bulbSlow-witted, stupid.
- dim-headedSynonym of dim-witted.
- dim-wittedBeing a dimwit; stupid; foolish; simple.
- dim
- doltishLike a dolt; dull in intellect; stupid.
- dopeyStupid, silly.
- dozy
- drowsy
- dull-headedSynonym of dull-witted.
- dull-mindedDim-witted, stupid, unintelligent.
- dull-wittedHaving a dull, blunt wit or mind; unintelligent.
- dullSluggish, listless.
- dumber than a box of rocksVery stupid.
- dumb
- dunderheadedStupid, foolish.
- empty-headed
- fatheadedCharacteristic of a fathead; stupid.
- feeble-mindedWeak in intellectual power; lacking firmness or constancy; lacking intelligence.
- flea-brainedIdiotic.
- foolish
- fuzzy-headed
- fuzzy-mindedSynonym of fuzzy-headed: characterized by vague or confused thinking, dull-witted.
- goofy
- half-brainedExhibiting low intelligence, as if having only half a brain.
- half-wittedHaving low intelligence.
- hammer-headed
- idiotic
- ignorant
- imbecilicLike or as an imbecile; so senseless as to be laughable; absurd, foolish, stupid, idiotic.
- inane
- insipid
- intellectually challengedOf low intelligence; stupid.
- knuckleheadedStupid or inept, like a knucklehead.
- lamebrainedFoolish; stupid.
- lowbrowUnsophisticated, not intended for an audience of intelligence, education or culture.
- lumpishDull and slow in acting, thinking, etc.; without energy; cloddish, lethargic, slow-witted, sluggish.
- lunkheadedObtuse; foolish; idiotic.
- mentally challenged
- mentally retarded offensiveIntellectually disabled, medically defined as having an IQ (intelligence quotient) below 70 in addition to deficits in...
- mindless
- monosynaptic
Opposite of sluggish
adjectiveSlow; having little motion.
Meaning of sluggish
- adjective Habitually idle and lazy; slothful; dull; inactive.
- adjective Slow; having little motion.
- adjective Having no power to move oneself or itself; inert.
sluggish in other languages
Questions about synonyms of sluggish
- What is another word for sluggish?
- Sluggish has 120 synonyms on Word.ws, such as bone-idle, lazy, inert, idle, slothful, lethargic, lackadaisical and torpid.
- What is the opposite of sluggish?
- The opposite of sluggish is nimble.
- What does sluggish mean?
- Sluggish means habitually idle and lazy; slothful; dull; inactive.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: sluggish (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of sluggish.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/sluggish. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.