noun
slob
SLAHB/slɑːb/
A person who is habitually messy or careless about cleanliness.
The slob drops crumbs onto her stained shirt despite the nearby wastebasket.
Etymology
Irish slab meant “mud” or “mire,” and slob first named mud or muddy land. The personal sense probably developed through expressions such as “slob of a man,” turning a word for dirt into a label for an untidy person.
In context
she was a slob, and I didn't get my security deposit back." How do I know you didn't make a mess?
More examples
- Do not leave the kitchen looking as though a slob lives here.
- The character was portrayed as a cheerful slob.
- She objected to being called a slob over one untidy shelf.
Forms
slob · slobs
Similar words
- sloven
- A less common, more literary word for an untidy person.
- slovenly person
- Slovenly person directly describes untidiness without the blunt insult.