definitions

lazy

[ ley-zee ]
/ ˈleɪ zi /
||
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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.

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RELATED WORDS

tired, sleepy, weary, lackadaisical, passive, careless, apathetic, inattentive, indifferent, dull, lethargic, comatose, dilatory, drowsy, idle, indolent, inert, laggard, languid, lifeless

Nearby words

lazuli, lazuline, lazulite, lazulitic, lazurite, lazy, lazy bed, lazy daisy stitch, lazy eye, lazy guy, lazy susan

Origin of lazy

1540–50; compare Low German lasich languid, idle
SYNONYMS FOR lazy
1 slothful. See idle.
3 inert, inactive, torpid.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lazy ON THESAURUS.COM
Related formsla·zi·ly, adverbla·zi·ness, nounla·zy·ish, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lazy

British Dictionary definitions for lazy

lazy

/ (ˈleɪzɪ) /

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 lazy

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper