malinger

American  

[muh-ling-ger] / məˈlɪŋ gər /

verb (used without object)

1. to pretend illness, especially in order to shirk one's duty, avoid work, etc.

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malinger British  

/ məˈlɪŋɡə /

verb

1. (intr) to pretend or exaggerate illness, esp to avoid work

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Other Word Forms

• malingerer noun

Etymology

Origin of malinger

First recorded in 1810–20; from French malingre “sickly, ailing,” equivalent to mal- “bad, ill” + Old French heingre “haggard” (perhaps from Germanic ); mal-

Example Sentences

In some cases, they have attributed reported health-effects from fume exposure to factors including hyperventilation, jet lag, psychological stress, mass hysteria and malingering.

From The Wall Street Journal

The State Bar of California, which was going after Girardi’s law license, quickly cast doubt on the diagnosis, suggesting possible malingering, a refrain later picked up by federal prosecutors pursuing wire fraud charges.

From Los Angeles Times

Staton had previously ruled Girardi had some cognitive impairment but was competent to stand trial and even showed signs of malingering, or exaggerating, his dementia symptoms.

From Los Angeles Times

The experts spent hours with Girardi, interviewing him and conducting tests that can identify mental deficits and in some cases malingering, feigning or exaggerating illness.

From Los Angeles Times

Detecting that someone is malingering is not an exact science.

From Scientific American