Showing results for "malingering"

• present participle of malinger.

malingering

American  

[muh-ling-ger-ing] / məˈlɪŋ gər ɪŋ /

adjective

1. pretending illness, especially in order to shirk one’s duty, avoid work, etc..

   Typically, malingering patients are reluctant to undergo examination and complain about having to participate.

2. of or being a pretended illness.

   The manager reprimanded the employee and accused him of having a malingering illness.

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noun

1. the act or practice of pretending illness.

   Stop your malingering and help your mother with the chores!

Etymology

Origin of malingering

First recorded in 1770–80; malinger ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; malinger ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun sense

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

malingering

Neither the defence's witnesses nor the prison's doctors believed Jeffries was "malingering" - or intentionally fabricating or exaggerating his symptoms.

From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026

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 ● Sep. 14, 2025

Tracy O’Connor Pennuto, a neuropsychologist for the federal prison system, determined he was not malingering and contributed to a report that concluded Girardi had “moderately advanced dementia” with “some features of Alzheimer’s.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2025

“People can be mentally ill and malingering; they can be demented and exaggerate,” says Rory Houghtalen, a forensic psychiatrist who consults on criminal legal cases in New York State.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 17, 2023

Each day over the next few months, Van Rensburg would charge one of us for insubordination or malingering.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela