noun / adjective

slattern

SLAT-ern/ˈslætərn/

A woman regarded as dirty or untidy in appearance or habits.

She resents being called a slattern for her wrinkled clothes.

A middle-aged Black woman in visibly rumpled everyday clothes, with an unevenly tucked shirt, a small food stain, and loosely disheveled hair.

Etymology

The word originally criticized a woman's neglect of her dress or household, so this sense preserves its early focus on untidiness. Its origin is uncertain.

More examples

In the novel, her neighbors dismiss her as a slattern.
Her grandmother uses the old-fashioned insult slattern when criticizing her housekeeping.
A stained apron does not make someone a slattern.

Forms

slattern · slatterns

slatternly adjective — Dirty or untidy in appearance or habits.

Similar words

slob: More common and informal; describes an untidy person of any gender.