lazy
Americanadjective
-
lazier,
comparative
-
laziest
superlative
-
tending to avoid work, activity, or exertion.
She was too lazy to take out the trash, so it just continued to pile up.
- Synonyms:
- slothful
- Antonyms:
- industrious
-
causing or characterized by idleness or inactivity.
It was a hot, lazy afternoon.
I’m having a lazy day today, just lounging and watching movies.
-
slow-moving; sluggish.
a lazy stream.
- Antonyms:
- quick
-
Computers. of or relating to an operator or quantifier in a search query that will return the smallest match result possible.
-
(of a livestock brand) placed on its side instead of upright.
verb (used without object)
adjective
-
not inclined to work or exertion
-
conducive to or causing indolence
-
moving in a languid or sluggish manner
a lazy river
-
(of a brand letter or mark on livestock) shown as lying on its side
Synonym Usage
See idle.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of lazy
First recorded in 1540–50; compare Low German lasich “languid, idle”
Explanation
While lazy actually means being averse to work or avoiding it, it can also be used to describe something slow-moving or unenergetic, like when you stroll down the garden path with a lazy gait, not in a hurry to get anywhere. The adjective lazy is thought to come from the Low German lasich, meaning "idle or languid." You were offended at being called lazy, but you just didn't have the energy to defend yourself. After all, who doesn't enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon? Former President of Poland Lech Walesa once considered the benefits of being lazy when he said, “It's the lazy people who invented the wheel and the bicycle because they didn't like walking or carrying things."
Vocabulary lists containing lazy
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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.
See Examples For:
Even the brief imitation of Lennon’s “losing control” scream is laser-precise, meant to boost the song’s momentum and carry it through a cheery and lazy surf solo.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
One former cyber agent said FBI staff were furious about the "sloppy and lazy security failures" that allegedly enabled the breach.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
But when the government’s arguments are this lazy, it is functionally impossible for Saylor to not at least implicitly acknowledge just how bad the idea is.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
There’s days where I’m too lazy to go swimming and there are days where I’m like, “I don’t want to go to the gym.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
Lily doesn’t understand the rules, and I’m too lazy to read the fine print, so we take turns pressing the frog’s belly.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
We label those who outsource their work to AI as lazier and less moral, and we think they value their work less than those who don’t.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Use her ajvar recipe without adjustment, or opt for my lazier route, and stash containers of lutenitsa in the freezer.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 8, 2023
A lazier filmmaker might merely have put them back together to play their greatest hits.
From New York Times ● Jul. 7, 2023
A lazier tale may have resolved this by having Stark Industries dump an angel loan upon the family from nowhere.
From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2021
Her companions were the lazier of the Old Sarum boys, the laziest of whom was one Albert Coningham, a slow thinker to whom Jean Louise had rendered invaluable service during six-weeks’ tests.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
But for now through early October, with little rain and seasonal dams controlling the water’s flow, this might be California’s laziest river.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
While charging a $1 annual fee may discourage the laziest bot-makers, it surely won’t prevent anyone with a real incentive—financial, political, or otherwise—to manipulate the platform for their own personal gain.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2023
If he loses, they say he overthinks, the laziest word ever to be used about Guardiola's work.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2023
Adding co-op is like finishing any dish with chili oil — it’s the laziest way to make the most unimaginatively cooked proteins pretty tasty.
From The Verge ● Aug. 24, 2022
Her companions were the lazier of the Old Sarum boys, the laziest of whom was one Albert Coningham, a slow thinker to whom Jean Louise had rendered invaluable service during six-weeks’ tests.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
The New York Stock Exchange tape lazied along: about 120,000 shares an hour, 610,000 shares for the full session.
From Time Magazine Archive
So he lazied with geishas, saki, talk and chess.
From Time Magazine Archive
I never lazied around so or frittered up so much time in my life; and I'm enjoying every second of my freedom, too.
From The Early Bird A Business Man's Love Story by Arthur William Brown
The two went down the road together, the Paymaster a little wearied with his years and weight or lazied by his own drams, leaning in the least degree upon the shoulder of the boy.
From Gilian The Dreamer His Fancy, His Love and Adventure by Neil Munro
So we lazied the fine days away, while our sea harness lay stiffening in the dark lockers.
From The Brassbounder A Tale of the Sea by David W. Bone
Hot summer weekends he is apt to be lazying beside Marian Anderson's Connecticut swimming pool.
From Time Magazine Archive
His head felt heavy and kind of funny, but he didn't think that lazying around on the pier would be harmful.
From A Son of the City A Story of Boy Life by Herman Gastrell Seely
I came home to see you all, Betty, and to satisfy myself that you were well; when that’s done there’s no more excuse for lazying.
From Betty Trevor by Victor Prout
An ambulance driver came lazying around the corner and began to start his car.
From The Martial Adventures of Henry and Me by William Allen White
Creagh sprang to his feet from the chair in which he had been lazying.
From A Daughter of Raasay A Tale of the '45 by Stuart Travis
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