This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
lax
1[ laks ]
/ lĂŠks /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adjective, lax·er, lax·est.
QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I canât figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Origin of lax
1First recorded in 1350â1400; Middle English, from Latin laxus âloose, spacious, wideâ; akin to languÄre âto be sluggish, faint, unwellâ; cognate with Old English slĂŠc slack1
OTHER WORDS FROM lax
Words nearby lax
law unto oneself, lawyer, lawyering, lawyer's wig, lawyer vine, lax, Laxalt, laxation, laxative, laxity, Laxness
Other definitions for lax (2 of 2)
lax2
[ laks ]
/ lĂŠks /
noun Informal.
lacrosse: To handle my course load, I know I have to cut back on extracurricular activities, but no way am I giving up lax.
Origin of lax
2First recorded in 1970â75; la(crosse) + x3 âa cross,â (in the sense cross, a pun on crosse, the stick used in lacrosse)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use lax in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for lax
lax
/ (lĂŠks) /
adjective
lacking firmness; not strict
lacking precision or definition
not taut
phonetics (of a speech sound) pronounced with little muscular effort and consequently having relatively imprecise accuracy of articulation and little temporal duration. In English the vowel i in bit is lax
(of flower clusters) having loosely arranged parts
Derived forms of lax
laxly, adverblaxity or laxness, nounWord Origin for lax
C14 (originally used with reference to the bowels): from Latin laxus loose
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012