Showing results for "slacker"

• comparative of slack.

slacker

American  

[slak-er] / ˈslæk ər /

noun

• slackers
  plural

1. a person who evades their duty or work; shirker.

   Synonyms:

   laggard, dodger, malingerer

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

3. a person who evades military service.

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slacker British  

/ ˈslækə /

noun

1. a person who evades work or duty; shirker

2. informal

   1. an educated young adult characterized by cynicism and apathy

   2. ( as modifier )

      slacker culture

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• slackers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of slacker

First recorded in 1790–1800; slack ¹ ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. ); slacker def. 2 popularized by the film Slackers (1991)

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Explanation

A slacker is someone who can't be relied on to do a job or finish a project. If you're looking for the slacker in your family, you'll probably find him on the couch. Nobody wants a slacker on their soccer team. Slackers avoid effort of any kind, putting work off or getting someone else to do it for them. While slacker is commonly thought of as a word from the 1990s — there was even a movie called Slackers made in 1991 — it's actually been around since at least the late 1800s. In the early 20th century, Sudanese workers protested their lack of voice and power by slacking, or working very slowly.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

slacker slackers

In another writer’s hands, the soft-handed seat-fillers of his slacker masterpiece “Office Space” would be contemptible.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

The prototypical Gen Xer is resilient and cynical, a “latchkey kid” turned disaffected slacker, raised on MTV and limited parental supervision.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

My backstory was that they lived in New York — he was trying to get in a band, it didn’t really happen for him, he was kind of a slacker.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2025

That realisation manifests in the lovestruck slacker rock of Dragonfly, and the finger-plucked Neptune Baby, with its refrain, "I'm a boat, and you are the water".

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2025

Father: “I don’t know where you picked up that slacker attitude, but you certainly didn’t learn it at home. Probably from the bad influences up here.”

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Each, in their way, is ambitious — no room for slackers here!

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026

These are the people cranking up productivity, impressing managers and making the rest of us look like slackers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025

What if "Universal Basic Guys" told a better story — that basic income unlocks purpose in two men labeled as slackers, trapped by systemic barriers and dead-end jobs?

From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2024

Grubby Gen Xers were designated the OG slackers, which did not bode well for becoming the bosses of the future.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 1, 2022

"To-morrow we’ll be in Udine. We'll drink champagne. That’s where the slackers live. Wake up, Piani! We’ll drink champagne to-morrow in Udine!"

From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway

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