sluggish C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈslʌɡɪʃ/ UK /ˈslʌɡɪʃ/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj slow-moving, inactive, or lacking energy The engine felt sluggish in the bitter morning cold. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · slow-moving, inactive, or... slowlethargictorpidinactivelistlesslanguiddull ↔ Opposites livelyenergeticbriskactivevigorous Word family Derived forms sluggishlysluggishness Related forms slugsluggard Etymology AI details From slug ('a sluggish creature or lazy person', of Scandinavian origin) plus the adjectival suffix -ish. slugg Old Norse View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # sluggish **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈslʌɡɪʃ/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈslʌɡɪʃ/ ## Meanings 1. slow-moving, inactive, or lacking energy ## Examples - The engine felt sluggish in the bitter morning cold. ## Synonyms - slow - lethargic - torpid - inactive - listless - languid - dull ## Antonyms - lively - energetic - brisk - active - vigorous ## Derived Forms - sluggishly - sluggishness ## Related Forms - slug - sluggard ## Roots and Affixes - Root: slugg ## Etymology From slug ('a sluggish creature or lazy person', of Scandinavian origin) plus the adjectival suffix -ish. ## AI Etymology Sluggish comes from slug ('a sluggish creature or lazy person', of Scandinavian origin) plus the adjectival suffix -ish. The historical trail runs through Old Norse slugg. Morphologically, the surface form is analyzable into prefixes, suffixes, compounds, or participial endings that carry part of the history. In modern use it means slow-moving, inactive, or lacking energy. Derived formations include sluggishly, sluggishness; related forms include slug, sluggard. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown