sloth
- 01 B1 Intermediate
a slow-moving animal that lives in trees in Central and South America.
any of several slow-moving, arboreal, xenarthran mammals of the suborder Folivora, native to the tropical rainforests of South and Central America.
Simple“The sloth spent most of the day hanging upside down from a tree branch.”
In context“Biologists observed the three-toed sloth moving with extreme deliberation through the canopy, a strategy that helps it avoid detection by predators.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
the habit of being lazy or slow to act.
habitual laziness or spiritual apathy; traditionally considered one of the seven deadly sins.
Simple“His failure to finish the project was due to pure sloth rather than a lack of time.”
In context“The moralist argued that the nation's economic decline was a direct result of collective sloth and a lack of innovation.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
a rare name for a group of bears.
a collective noun used to refer to a group of bears.
Simple“We were surprised to see a sloth of bears gathered near the river.”
In context“While 'sleuth' is the more common collective noun, some older texts refer to a sloth of bears wandering the forest.”
Synonymssleuth
From Middle English slouthe, slewthe (“laziness”), from Old English slǣwþ (“sloth, indolence, laziness, inertness, torpor”), from Proto-West Germanic slaiwiþu, from Proto-Germanic slaiwiþō (“slowness, lateness”), equivalent to slow + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Cognate with Scots sleuth (“sloth, slowness”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.