lazy

[ley-zee]

See more synonyms for lazy on Thesaurus.com

adjective, la·zi·er, la·zi·est.

averse or disinclined to work, activity, or exertion; indolent.
causing idleness or indolence: a hot, lazy afternoon.
slow-moving; sluggish: a lazy stream.

(of a livestock brand) placed on its side instead of upright.

verb (used without object), la·zied, la·zy·ing.

to laze.

Origin of lazy

1540–50; compare Low German lasich languid, idle

Related formsla·zi·ly, adverbla·zi·ness, nounla·zy·ish, adjective

Synonyms for lazy

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1. slothful. See idle. 3. inert, inactive, torpid.

Antonyms for lazy

1. industrious. 3. quick.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for laziness

sloth, lethargy, negligence, apathy, weariness, inertia, inertness, slackness, dormancy, stolidity, tardiness, heaviness, idleness, dullness, remissness, listlessness, slothfulness, inactivity, laxness, slowness

Examples from the Web for laziness

Contemporary Examples of laziness

While some may classify that inactivity as laziness or indifference, Brown suggests the contrary.
Deepwater Horizon: Life Drowning in Oil
Samuel Fragoso
November 2, 2014
People tend to condemn the obese because they believe that “fatness” is evidence of laziness and lack of discipline.
‘The Biggest Loser’ Could Be TV’s Most Important Show Ever
Daniela Drake
September 26, 2014
Fatigue, sadness, or psychosis is not about choice or laziness or selfishness.
Postpartum Stigma: Why My Patient Committed Suicide
Jean Kim
August 5, 2014
Next, add the vices of a rentier state: laziness, irresponsibility, a sense of entitlement, and ignorance.
It’s Not the USA that Made Libya the Disaster it is Today
Ann Marlowe
August 3, 2014
When universities board up their English departments, they surrender to ignorance and laziness.
Pulling the Plug on English Departments
David Masciotra
July 28, 2014

Historical Examples of laziness

We'll cure Jim of laziness, and it will be a fine piece of work.
Frank Roscoe's Secret
Allen Chapman
Laziness, that brutish existence which had been his dream, proved his punishment.
Therese Raquin
Emile Zola
The light labour entrusted to him became irksome owing to his laziness.
Therese Raquin
Emile Zola
Perhaps I should never have written at all if you hadn't urged me, shamed me out of my laziness.
The Portygee
Joseph Crosby Lincoln
Oh, they don't grumble; any excuse for laziness is warmly welcomed.
Ireland as It Is
Robert John Buckley (AKA R.J.B.)

British Dictionary definitions for laziness

lazy

adjective lazier or laziest

not inclined to work or exertion
conducive to or causing indolence
moving in a languid or sluggish mannera lazy river
(of a brand letter or mark on livestock) shown as lying on its side

Derived Formslazily, adverblaziness, noun

Word Origin for lazy

C16: origin uncertain

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

Word Origin and History for laziness

1570s, from lazy + -ness.

lazy

adj.

1540s, laysy, of unknown origin. Replaced native slack, slothful, and idle as the main word expressing the notion of "averse to work." In 19c. thought to be from lay (v.) as tipsy from tip. Skeat is responsible for the prevailing modern view that it probably comes from Low German, cf. Middle Low German laisch "weak, feeble, tired," modern Low German läösig, early modern Dutch leuzig, all of which may go back to the PIE root *(s)leg- "slack." According to Weekley, the -z- sound disqualifies a connection with French lassé "tired" or German lassig "lazy, weary, tired." A supposed dialectal meaning "naught, bad," if it is the original sense, may tie the word to Old Norse lasenn "dilapidated," lasmøyrr "decrepit, fragile," root of Icelandic las-furða "ailing," las-leiki "ailment." Lazy Susan is from 1917.