sluttish
sluttish Lexical Profile
sluttish Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Considered to be sexually promiscuous or provocatively dressed (used as a derogatory term, especially of a woman).
"The novel critiques the double standard that labels women with sluttish reputations while excusing the same behavior in men."
Slovenly, untidy, or dirty in appearance, habits, or housekeeping (now dated or archaic).
"In the 17th-century diary, the author complained bitterly about the sluttish condition in which the previous tenants had left the kitchen."
Word Nuance & Usage
In contemporary English, 'slutty' has largely replaced 'sluttish' as a derogatory term for perceived sexual promiscuity, whereas 'sluttish' is primarily encountered in literary or historical contexts where it often retains its older sense of 'slovenly' or 'untidy.'
• Rhymes for sluttish
Word Origin & Etymology
Attested since the late 14th century (featured in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales), the word originally meant 'dirty, untidy, or slovenly' in appearance or housekeeping before gradually acquiring its modern pejorative association with sexual promiscuity.