malingerer

[muh-ling-ger-er]

noun

1. a person who pretends to be sick, especially in order to avoid work or shirk responsibilities.

   Don’t reinforce the misguided perception that injured workers are just malingerers looking for a "paid vacation."

Word History and Origins

Origin of malingerer¹

First recorded in 1755–65; from French malingre “sickly,” of uncertain origin (perhaps from mal “badly” + obsolete haingre, heingre “lean, skinny”) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

The Republican theme was that the rolls were brimming with malingerers, layabouts and fraudsters devoted to ripping off the taxpayers.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Republicans consistently slander disability recipients as malingerers and layabouts.

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That’s because welfare programs are easiest to axe when conservatives go hunting for budget cuts — Americans typically view them as serving layabouts and malingerers at their expense.

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It’s starting to make me feel like I’m a malingerer.

Read more on Washington Post

These patients are often dismissed as malingerers or as suffering from a psychosomatic condition—and so it still is with long COVID.

Read more on Scientific American