WordGarden.iosloppiness
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /slˈɒpɪnəs/
US
- /ˈslɑpinəs/
Meanings
Noun
lack of enough care, attention, or precision in work, action, or thought
untidiness, messiness, or a dirty and badly ordered condition
Beyond the definition
Sloppiness isn't just about physical messes, though spilled milk and muddy footprints certainly qualify! It's a general lack of care or attention to detail. A sloppy painter might get paint all over the room instead of where it belongs, while a sloppy student might rush through their work without checking for errors. Think of it as the opposite of neatness and precision. You wouldn't want sloppiness in surgery, but a little artistic sloppiness can sometimes add character to a painting!
Consider Old Man Tiberius, the baker. His bread was legendary... when he remembered all the ingredients. More often than not, though, his kitchen was a disaster zone, with flour on every surface, bowls overflowing with dough, and a general air of delightful, chaotic sloppiness. It wasn't dirty in a dangerous way, just... enthusiastic.
Sloppiness refers to a lack of care, precision, or neatness in how something is done or maintained. It can show up physically, like in a messy room or messy handwriting, but it also applies to abstract things like work, arguments, or even thinking. For example, "The report was full of sloppiness; there were typos and factual errors throughout."
Sloppiness often implies a lack of effort or attention to detail. Someone who is sloppy might rush through tasks, make careless mistakes, or not bother with finishing touches. It's the opposite of meticulousness or thoroughness.
The context can change how we perceive sloppiness. A little bit of artistic sloppiness in a painting might be seen as expressive and charming, while sloppiness in a scientific experiment could invalidate the results. In fact, sometimes people intentionally embrace a certain degree of sloppiness to achieve a particular effect, like deliberately messy hair or distressed clothing.
However, generally speaking, sloppiness is viewed negatively, suggesting carelessness, inefficiency, and a lack of respect for quality. It's the kind of thing your mother might scold you about! So, while a touch of chaos can be fun, too much sloppiness usually leads to problems, or at least a lot more cleaning up.
Examples
- 1
Written work
The report was full of small errors caused by sloppiness.
- 2
Workplace standards
The boss can forgive inexperience, but not sloppiness.
- 3
Lab safety
Sloppiness in the lab can put everyone at risk.
- 4
Money handling
His sloppiness with money left him short at the end of every month.
- Patternsloppiness with + thing
careless handling of that thing
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Argument quality
The article was criticized for factual mistakes and general sloppiness in its argument.
See also
Similar
- carelessness
- messiness
- untidiness
Shades of meaning
- negligence
- imprecision
- laxity
Contrast
- meticulousness
- neatness
Used with (collocations)
- sloppiness in writing
- sloppiness with details
- intellectual sloppiness
- sloppiness of workmanship
Word family
- sloppy
- sloppily
Explore
- quality control
- attention to detail
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- sloppinessnoun