slacker

[ slak-er ]

/ ˈslæk ər /

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noun

a person who evades his or her duty or work; shirker.

a person who evades military service.

an especially educated young person who is antimaterialistic, purposeless, apathetic, and usually works in a dead-end job.

Nearby words

slack water, slack-baked, slack-jawed, slack-key, slacken, slacker, slackly, slackness, slacks, slacktivism, slag

Origin of slacker

1790–1800; slack1 + -er1; def. 3 popularized by the film Slackers (1991)

SYNONYMS FOR slacker

1 malingerer, dodger, laggard.

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Definition for slacker (2 of 2)

slack

[ slak ]

/ slæk /

adjective

not tight, taut, firm, or tense; loose: a slack rope.

negligent; careless; remiss: slack proofreading.

slow, sluggish, or indolent: He is slack in answering letters.

not active or busy; dull; not brisk: the slack season in an industry.

moving very slowly, as the tide, wind, or water.

weak; lax.

Nautical. easy(def 15a).

adverb

in a slack manner.

noun

a slack condition or part.

the part of a rope, sail, or the like, that hangs loose, without strain upon it.

a decrease in activity, as in business or work: a sudden slack in output.

a period of decreased activity.

Geography. a cessation in a strong flow, as of a current at its turn.

a depression between hills, in a hillside, or in the land surface.

Prosody. (in sprung rhythm) the unaccented syllable or syllables.

British Dialect. a morass; marshy ground; a hollow or dell with soft, wet ground at the bottom.

verb (used with object)

to be remiss in respect to (some matter, duty, right, etc.); shirk; leave undone: He slacked the most important part.

to make or allow to become less active, vigorous, intense, etc.; relax (efforts, labor, speed, etc.); lessen; moderate (often followed by up).

to make loose, or less tense or taut, as a rope; loosen (often followed by off or out).

to slake (lime).

verb (used without object)

to be remiss; shirk one's duty or part.

to become less active, vigorous, rapid, etc. (often followed by up): Business is slacking up.

to become less tense or taut, as a rope; to ease off.

to become slaked, as lime.

Origin of slack

before 900; Middle English slac (adj.), Old English sleac, slæc; cognate with Old Norse slakr, Old High German slach, Latin laxus lax

SYNONYMS FOR slack

1 relaxed.

2 lazy, weak.

3 dilatory, tardy, late.

4 idle, quiet.

11 slowing, relaxation.

17 neglect.

18 reduce, slacken.

21 malinger.

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Related forms

slack·ing·ly, adverbslack·ly, adverbslack·ness, nounun·slacked, adjective

un·slack·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for slacker

In the early days, “if you worked at home and you were a slacker, perhaps you got weeded out faster,” she said.
Current, Former Yahoo Employees Question the Ban on Working From Home|Winston Ross|February 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Despite his slacker credentials, Smith had never had a pot habit.
Kevin Smith, Burned Out?|Chris Lee|September 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Though he's not Clooney, Knocked Up's Rogen isn't the slacker he's often made out to be.
Top 10 Unlikely Superheroes in Movies|Sujay Kumar|January 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Nicole LaPorte on Pee-wee's first tweet, Diablo Cody's online ethics, and Oprah's slacker ways.
Hollywood's Twitter Economy|Nicole LaPorte|October 11, 2009|DAILY BEAST

If he had a lame leg or a bad foot, he was "started" with a rope's-end as a "slacker."
The Press-Gang Afloat and Ashore|John R. Hutchinson
"Daren, there are people who called Dick Swann a slacker," returned Lorna, as if forced to give this information.
The Day of the Beast|Zane Grey
At the outbreak of the war her antipathy to young Stillwell as a slacker had been violent.
To Him That Hath|Ralph Connor
She is a slacker and a shirker, who keeps much in the background during the breeding season.
What Bird is That?|Frank M. Chapman
Oh, I know, her husband's a slacker and no real good to anybody.
The Real Adventure|Henry Kitchell Webster

British Dictionary definitions for slacker (1 of 3)

slacker

/ (ˈslækə) /

noun

a person who evades work or duty; shirker

informal

an educated young adult characterized by cynicism and apathy
(as modifier)slacker culture

British Dictionary definitions for slacker (2 of 3)

slack

/ (slæk) /

adjective

not tight, tense, or taut

negligent or careless

(esp of water, etc) moving slowly

(of trade, etc) not busy

phonetics another term for lax (def. 4)

adverb

in a slack manner

noun

a part of a rope, etc, that is slacktake in the slack

a period of decreased activity

a patch of water without current
a slackening of a current

prosody (in sprung rhythm) the unstressed syllable or syllables

verb

to neglect (one's duty, etc)

(often foll by off) to loosen; to make slack

chem a less common word for slake (def. 3)

Word Origin for slack

Old English slæc, sleac; related to Old High German slah, Old Norse slākr bad, Latin laxus lax

British Dictionary definitions for slacker (3 of 3)

slack

/ (slæk) /

noun

small pieces of coal with a high ash content

Word Origin for slack

C15: probably from Middle Low German slecke; related to Dutch slak, German Schlacke dross

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for slacker (1 of 5)

slacker

popularized 1994, but the meaning "person who shirks work" dates to 1897; agent noun from slack (v.). In early use also slackster (1901). Cf. Old English sleacornes "laziness," which is not, however, an agent noun. Related: Slackerly; slackerish.

Word Origin and History for slacker (1 of 5)

slack

adj.

Old English slæc "remiss, lax, characterized by lack of energy, sluggish, indolent, languid; slow, gentle, easy," from Proto-Germanic *slakas (cf. Old Saxon slak, Old Norse slakr, Old High German slah "slack," Middle Dutch lac "fault, lack"), from PIE root *(s)leg- "to be slack" (see lax).

Sense of "not tight" (in reference to things) is first recorded c.1300. As an adverb from late 14c. Slack-key (1975) translates Hawaiian ki ho'alu. Slack water (n.) "time when tide is not flowing" is from 1769. Slack-handed "remiss" is from 1670s. Slack-baked "baked imperfectly, half-baked" is from 1823; figuratively from 1840.

Word Origin and History for slacker (2 of 5)

slack

n.2

"coal dust," mid-15c., sleck, of uncertain origin, probably related to Middle Dutch slacke, Middle Low German slecke "slag, small pieces left after coal is screened," perhaps related to slagge "splinter flying off metal when it is struck" (see slag (n.)).

Word Origin and History for slacker (3 of 5)

slack

n.1

early 14c., "cessation" (of pain, grief, etc.), from slack (adj.). Meaning "a cessation of flow in a current or tide" is from 1756; that of "still stretch of a river" is from 1825. Meaning "loose part or end" (of a rope, sail, etc.) is from 1794; hence figurative senses in take up the slack (1930 figuratively) and slang cut (someone) some slack (1968). Meaning "quiet period, lull" is from 1851. Slacks "loose trousers" first recorded 1824, originally military.

Word Origin and History for slacker (4 of 5)

slack

1510s, "to moderate, make slack," back-formed from slack (adj.) after the original verb veered into the specialized sense of slake. Meaning "be remiss, inactive or idle, fail to exert oneself" is attested from 1540s; current use is probably a re-coining from c.1904 (see slacker, and cf. Old English slacful "lazy," sleacmodnes "laziness"). Related: Slacked; slacking.

slacker

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Origin of slacker

Definition for.css-ylq2vz{color:#1a1a1a;} slacker (2 of 2)

slack

adjective

adverb

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of slack

Examples from the Web for slacker

British Dictionary definitions for slacker (1 of 3)

slacker

noun

British Dictionary definitions for slacker (2 of 3)

slack

adjective

adverb

noun

verb

Word Origin for slack

British Dictionary definitions for slacker (3 of 3)

slack

noun

Word Origin for slack

Word Origin and History for slacker (1 of 5)

slacker

Word Origin and History for slacker (1 of 5)

slack

Word Origin and History for slacker (2 of 5)

slack

Word Origin and History for slacker (3 of 5)

slack

Word Origin and History for slacker (4 of 5)

slack

noun

Definition for slacker (2 of 2)