ENGLISH
REFERENCE

slouch

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈsɫaʊtʃ// UK //slˈaʊtʃ// slouch Archaic

n. a person who is lazy or does not have a strong character. It is an old-fashioned word for someone who lacks energy or purpose.

n. a person who is lazy, inactive, or lacking in character. Primarily used in the phrase 'a slouch of a man' to describe a physically or morally weak individual.


SIMPLE

He was a lazy slouch who never finished his work.

CONTEXTUAL

The old man was a total slouch, spending his entire day sitting on the porch without moving.

COMPLEX

In the Victorian era, a man who failed to maintain a firm posture or a steady work ethic was often dismissed as a slouch, reflecting the era's strict standards for physical and moral vigor.

Synonyms
Origin

Unclear. Perhaps from Middle English slugge, from Old Norse slókr (“lazy fellow”). See also Swedish sloka (“to slouch, wilt”), related to Swedish slak (“slack, soft and flexible”) and Latin laxus (“loose, slack”).

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