slovenly
Slovenly is what your great aunt Mehitabel might call you if you came to high tea without a necktie. It means "messy or unkempt," but is a word you probably won't hear messy or unkempt people using.
Slovenly has meant messy or unkempt since the 1500s, but it had a brief heyday before that of meaning "low or base." This class association remains embedded in the word — someone who uses the word slovenly today is most likely also going to raise his or her pinky while drinking from a cup of tea.
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negligent of neatness especially in dress and person; habitually dirty and unkempt
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Vocabulary lists containing slovenly
Learn these essential words that you'll encounter in literature, textbooks, class discussions, and more.
In this action-packed adventure story, a domesticated dog must shed his civilized ways to become a proper sled dog during the Yukon Gold Rush.
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