ˈsləgish, -gēsh adjective
Etymology: Middle English sluggus, sluggish, from slugge sluggard + -us, -ish -ish — more at slug
1. : disinclined (as by nature, habit, or condition) to activity or exertion : indolent , torpid
a sluggish worker
a sluggish temperament
some physicians are mentally sluggish — Fortune
many freshwater fishes … become sluggish during cold weather — W.H.Dowdeswell
2. : slow to respond (as to stimulation or treatment) : lacking in vigor, animation, or efficiency
a sluggish liver
an old man whose reactions were so sluggish he shouldn't have been driving a car — Erle Stanley Gardner
tonic … for a clogged and sluggish system — Emily Holt
turn an otherwise good performance into a sluggish one — Warwick Braithwaite
3.
a. : markedly slow in movement, flow, or growth
a sluggish pace
a sluggish stream
sluggish , wallowing oil tankers — American Guide Series: Texas
his cataract of eloquence suddenly lagged to a sluggish trickle — Herman Wouk
several decades of sluggish economic development — American Guide Series: Virginia
b. : economically inactive or slow-moving : dull , stagnant
a sluggish market
clothing sales were sluggish
stock prices have remained notably sluggish — Fortune
Synonyms: see lethargic