Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Sprawling lazily: Describes the state of lying or reclining in a stretched-out, relaxed, and often lazy manner, taking up a lot of space.
   • Soaking wet, drenched: Describes something that is thoroughly and unpleasantly wet, often to the point of being soggy or dripping.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Sprawling lazily):

  • Anh ấy nằm sườn sượt trên ghế sofa cả buổi chiều. (He was sprawling lazily on the sofa all afternoon.)
  • Đừng có nằm sườn sượt như thế, ngồi dậy đi! (Don't sprawl lazily like that, sit up!)

• Adjective (Soaking wet):

  • Cơn mưa làm tôi ướt sườn sượt. (The rain left me soaking wet.)
  • Quần áo phơi ngoài trời bị ướt sườn sượt vì mưa. (The clothes drying outside got drenched by the rain.)

Advanced Usage

• The word is often used in a slightly informal or descriptive context to emphasize a state of extreme relaxation (in the first sense) or extreme wetness (in the second sense). It carries a connotation of being somewhat unkempt, careless, or excessive in that state.

Variants and Related Words

• Sượt: This is the root form. "Sườn sượt" is an intensified, reduplicative form of "sượt," which can also mean wet or limp. The addition of "sườn" amplifies the meaning.
• Ướt sũng: Soaking wet, drenched (a more common synonym for the "wet" meaning).
• Nằm dài: To lie stretched out (a more neutral synonym for the "sprawling" meaning).

Synonyms

• For "sprawling lazily": Nằm dài, nằm ườn, nằm lười.
• For "soaking wet": Ướt sũng, ướt nhẹp, ướt đẫm.

Related Phrases

• Ướt sườn sượt: This is a common collocation specifically for the "wet" meaning, reinforcing the state of being drenched.
  • Sau trận mưa, con đường ướt sườn sượt. (After the rain, the road was soaking wet.)

Notes on Meaning

• This word has two distinct primary meanings. The correct interpretation depends entirely on the context—whether it describes a person's posture/behavior or the condition of an object.
• It is not typically used in very formal writing but is common in descriptive speech and literature.

adj

1. Sprawling lazily