procrastination
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of procrastination
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin prōcrāstinātiōn-, stem of prōcrāstinātiō “a putting off until tomorrow,” equivalent to prōcrāstināt(us), past participle of prōcrāstināre “to put off until tomorrow” + -iō -ion ( def. ); see procrastinate ( def. )
Explanation
Procrastination is putting off or deferring an action (usually one we don't want to do) until a later time (usually the last minute). Activities that inspire procrastination include work, chores, studying, or anything else we don't feel like doing right now. Activities we choose in our procrastination include surfing the Internet, watching television, reorganizing our pencils, talking on the phone, or sleeping. Great synonyms for this word include dilly-dallying and shillyshally.
Vocabulary lists containing procrastination
March Vocabulary Words
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This Week in Words: November 26 - December 1, 2017
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CTE Construction ("Core Curriculum: Introductory Craft Skills,") Vocabulary from Module One
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The simplest explanation for this would be a common underlying personality trait, namely that of low self-control, Kroese and her colleagues noted in a chapter of the 2016 book Procrastination, Health, and Well-Being.
From Scientific American • Jul. 19, 2022
Procrastination is different from delaying a task because you need to talk to someone who isn’t available, or not getting around to reading a literary classic such as “Moby Dick.”
From Washington Post • Jul. 9, 2021
Procrastination and even avoiding taking on a project altogether are also common byproducts of perfectionism.
From Salon • Apr. 30, 2021
The Doctors Procrastination; inside the apartment of the New York City Plant Woman; laughter as medicine.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 19, 2020
“Do you even know me? I’m the CEO of Procrastination, LLC!”
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
