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procrastination

American  
[proh-kras-tuh-ney-shuhn, pruh‑] / proʊˌkræs təˈneɪ ʃən, prə‑ /

noun

  1. the act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off or delaying, especially something requiring immediate attention.

    She was smart, but her constant procrastination led her to be late with almost every assignment.

Etymology

Origin of procrastination

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin prōcrāstinātiōn-, stem of prōcrāstinātiō “a putting off until tomorrow,” equivalent to prōcrāstināt(us), past participle of prōcrāstināre “to put off until tomorrow” + -iō -ion ( def. ); procrastinate ( def. )

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.

Instead, we ignored the problem, and that procrastination was costly.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

Mr. Bailey offers practical techniques for overcoming the aversive elements of our goals, which are most likely to lead to procrastination.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026

Perhaps procrastination is the greatest present of all.

From Barron's • Dec. 15, 2025

One is the practicality of the measure, which in theory is being dealt with by the EU but is succumbing to endless procrastination.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2025

John Quincy’s network of European sources also urged enlightened procrastination.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.