slack

¹ American  

[slak] / slæk /

adjective

1. not tight, taut, firm, or tense;

   a slack rope.

   Synonyms:

   relaxed

2. negligent; careless; remiss.

   slack proofreading.

   Synonyms:

   thoughtless, lazy, lax

3. slow, sluggish, or indolent.

   He is slack in answering letters.

   Synonyms:

   listless, tardy, dilatory

4. not active or busy; dull; not brisk.

   the slack season in an industry.

   Synonyms:

   quiet, idle

5. moving very slowly, as the tide, wind, or water.

6. Phonetics. weak; lax.

7. Nautical. easy.

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adverb

1. in a slack manner.

noun

1. a slack condition or part.

2. the part of a rope, sail, or the like, that hangs loose, without strain upon it.

3. a decrease in activity, as in business or work.

   a sudden slack in output.

   Synonyms:

   relaxation

4. a period of decreased activity.

5. Geography. a cessation in a strong flow, as of a current at its turn.

6. a depression between hills, in a hillside, or in the land surface.

7. Prosody. (in sprung rhythm) the unaccented syllable or syllables.

8. British Dialect. a morass; marshy ground; a hollow or dell with soft, wet ground at the bottom.

verb (used with object)

1. to be remiss in respect to (some matter, duty, right, etc.); leave undone; shirk.

   He slacked the most important part.

   Synonyms:

   neglect

2. to make or allow to become less active, vigorous, intense, etc.; relax (efforts, labor, speed, etc.); lessen; moderate (often followed byup ).

   Synonyms:

   slacken, reduce

3. to make loose, or less tense or taut, as a rope; loosen (often followed by off orout ).

4. to slake (lime).

verb (used without object)

1. to be remiss; shirk one's duty or part.

   Synonyms:

   malinger

2. to become less active, vigorous, rapid, etc. (often followed byup ).

   Business is slacking up.

3. to become less tense or taut, as a rope; to ease off.

4. to become slaked, as lime.

idioms

1. take up the slack,

   1. to pull in or make taut a loose section of a rope, line, wire, etc..

      Take up the slack before releasing the kite.

   2. to provide or compensate for something that is missing or incomplete.

      New sources of oil will take up the slack resulting from the embargo.

slack ² American  

[slak] / slæk /

noun

1. the fine screenings of coal.

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slack ¹ British  

/ slæk /

adjective

1. not tight, tense, or taut

2. negligent or careless

3. (esp of water, etc) moving slowly

4. (of trade, etc) not busy

5. phonetics another term for lax

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adverb

1. in a slack manner

noun

1. a part of a rope, etc, that is slack

   take in the slack

2. a period of decreased activity

3. 1. a patch of water without current

   2. a slackening of a current

4. prosody (in sprung rhythm) the unstressed syllable or syllables

verb

1. to neglect (one's duty, etc)

2. (often foll by off) to loosen; to make slack

3. chem a less common word for slake

slack ² British  

/ slæk /

noun

1. small pieces of coal with a high ash content

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Other Word Forms

• slackingly adverb
• slackly adverb
• slackness noun
• unslacked adjective
• unslacking adjective

Etymology

Origin of slack¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English adjective slak(e), slakke, Old English slæc, sleac; cognate with Old Norse slakr, Old High German slach, Latin laxus lax

Origin of slack²

First recorded in 1200–50; of uncertain origin; compare Middle English sleck “mud, slush, stony soil,” Flemish slecke, Middle Dutch slacke, slecke, Dutch slak, Low German slak(ke), German Schlacke “dross (of metal)”

Example Sentences

Chief Operating Officer David Seymour said American is building more slack into its flight schedules to ensure more on-time departures and reduce delays.

From The Wall Street Journal

Altadena’s two libraries, both spared from destruction, have borne outsize responsibility for picking up the slack from these losses, and have hosted community events and workshops for those hoping to rebuild.

From Los Angeles Times

These range from the slowing economy, rising labor-market slack and stagnant real wages to the disinflationary — or deflationary — effect of artificial intelligence.

From MarketWatch

Nitibhon, a Thai supermodel, plays her tycoon as comically drab, keeping her gaunt cheeks slack to emphasize her character’s hollowness.

From Los Angeles Times

Upward price pressures have eased, the central bank said, and it expects inflation to remain close to 2% for the next two years as higher costs associated with tariffs are offset by excess economic slack.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• lackadaisical
• lax
• lethargic
• permissive
• sluggish
• stagnant