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slothful

Adjective
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An adjective meaning lazy, indolent, or slow to act, describing a state of harmful idleness or apathy in moral and allegorical verse.

Detailed Definition
In older or literary English, slothful means habitually lazy, sluggish, or unwilling to make effort. Here it describes the eye as failing to hold onto the star because of inaction or carelessness.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Lost it / Through a slothful eye” means lost through lazy, inattentive perception; Spenser’s “slothful care” similarly condemns neglect rather than mere rest; “A slothful gaze missed the hawk’s first turn” shows the adjective modifying observation; In moral or religious poetry, slothful may imply one of the deadly sins and a failure of spiritual vigilance
Additional Notes
In the line "And lost itThrough a slothful eye;" the adjective is literary and less common than everyday words like lazy.; Found in the poem, Regret by Richard Le Gallienne
Also Known As
lazy indolent lethargic
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