sluggish

C2+ Topic:Science & Research

US /ˈslʌɡɪʃ/ UK /ˈslʌɡɪʃ/ See IPA manual

adj

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... slow lethargic torpid inactive listless languid dull

Opposites

lively energetic brisk active vigorous

Word family

Derived forms sluggishly sluggishness

Related forms slug sluggard

Etymology

From slug ('a sluggish creature or lazy person', of Scandinavian origin) plus the adjectival suffix -ish.

slugg Old Norse

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Science & Research Word Formation & Derivatives

# 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
- Science & Research
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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