PLODDING Synonyms: 292 Similar and Opposite Words

plodding 1 of 2

adjective

as in relentless

Related Words

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Dissimilar Words

as in ambling

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

plodding

2 of 2

verb

present participle of plod

as in laboring

to devote serious and sustained effort plodded night and day to get the assignment done

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stumbling

to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually oxen plodding through deep mud

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in dragging

to move slowly plodded reluctantly off to work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in shuffling

to move heavily or clumsily wayfarers plodding across the sandy wastes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of plodding

Adjective

Bennie Liebenberg, a former geologist at the mine who was serving as our guide, has the plodding, slightly wide-eyed manner of someone who has spent a lot of time underground. — James Dinneen, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026 During the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, activists from the gay community lambasted him and his institute for the plodding pace of research on the virus. — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026 The audience was still as the band started playing a plodding rhythm. — Literary Hub, 27 July 2026 Brunson was too small (6-foot-2), not long enough (with a 6-foot-4 wingspan) and too plodding. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 3 June 2026 Neither is known for having much of an off-the-dribble game that could hurt the plodding Porzingis or Horford. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026 His jogging gait is a bit plodding. — Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026 His two-time matchup was Alejandro Kirk, an excellent hitter but, at 5-foot-8 and 245 pounds, a plodding runner. — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2026 Where the film falters is in its plodding rhythm and clunky dialogue, much of which is delivered too flatly by actors who don’t exactly steal their scenes. — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026

Verb

The slow-burn storytelling reflects the characters’ plodding childhoods, utterly lacking in carefree play. — Heller McAlpin, Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2026 The film is instead, in its strange and sometimes plodding manner, a call to simply sit and think about the contradictions of human character. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026 In addition to sizzling 115-degree days, Las Vegas’ famous resorts and casinos are plodding through a tourism slump. — Marshall Cohen, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026 Santa, who was heavy and plodding with bad knees, couldn’t keep up as Gayle tailed this man through an alleyway. — Wilbert L. Cooper, Longreads, 25 Aug. 2026 That optionality may be more enticing for New York than just signing a plodding third center. — Tom Rende, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 The answer is complex, highlighting the dramatic differences between the public perception of a case and the careful, plodding way that evidence must be presented in a courtroom, experts said. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 27 July 2026 But plodding through them offers little pleasure, guilty or otherwise. — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026 The other human beings his size have either been plodding trees who can barely get up the floor or rail-thin gazelles who can’t handle the G-forces their bodies generate at full speed. — Jared Weiss, New York Times, 24 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plodding

Adjective

Its sculptural geometry seems born of chance, gently carved and polished over time by the slow, relentless action of wind and erosion.

— Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 26 Oct. 2026
Despite relentless internal memos about layoffs and content cuts since the summer, the BBC has only announced £200M of its half-billion goal.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of relentless

Adjective

For this Nuggets lineup, the average comes out to a pedestrian 6-9, with three capable perimeter defenders to assist the heavy-footed centers, two 40% 3-point shooters to space the floor, and a surplus of play-making talent.

— Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
Post struggled in his first go, thrown into the fire against the best team in the league that plays a style designed to punish heavy-footed centers.

— Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 2 Feb. 2025

Definition of heavy-footed

Verb

Strange, yes, but definitely more memorable than an accountant in green eyeshade laboring over the books.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
And workers have now spent over 1 million hours laboring on an infrastructure project whose price tag has surpassed $900 million.

— Robert Tann, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of laboring

Verb

Count seats against your guest list, then throw down floor cushions or a blanket pile instead of dragging in extra chairs.

— Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
Plus, because most wide-legs have longer inseams, a low heel prevents them from dragging on the ground.

— Eva Thomas, InStyle, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of dragging

Verb

The Current traded away some assets while shuffling stars like Michelle Cooper, Temwa Chawinga and Lorena in and out of the lineup.

— PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
And for a quarterback whose superpower involves shuffling through collapsing pockets, scrambling through squalor, throwing off any and every platform — such a question was warranted.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of shuffling

Adjective

Lately, though, the push notifications alerting me to the recall du jour have taken on an unremitting, nagging tone.

— Greg Mania, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026
In this age of unremitting test screenings and CinemaScore, downer endings typically score lower, so Abrams appreciates that Cregger and Sony weren’t afraid to figuratively twist the knife in the audience.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of unremitting

Adjective

Shohei Ohtani returned to the top of the Dodgers’ lineup Monday after four days off to address lingering aches, as the club effectively pauses its pitching program for the two-way star.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
No more distractions, no more lingering questions, just a baller who loves this sport and continues to level up.

— Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 31 July 2026

Definition of lingering

Browse Nearby Words

plodders

plodding

ploddingly

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Style

“Plodding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plodding. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of plodding

adjective

verb

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