lackadaisical

adjective

lack·​a·​dai·​si·​cal ˌla-kə-ˈdā-zi-kəl 

: lacking life, spirit, or zest : languid

teachers who are impatient with lackadaisical students

lackadaisically

ˌla-kə-ˈdā-zi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

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Where does lackadaisical come from?

We’re too enthusiastic about the lexicon to be lackadaisical about words, but lackadaisical itself is rooted in the sort of sorrow that can put a damper on one’s passion for vocabulary expansion. When folks living from the late 17th to the late 19th century had one of those days when nothing goes right, they could cry "Lackaday!" to express their sorrow and disappointment as a shortened form of the expression "alack the day." (Alack is an interjection used to express sorrow or regret.) By the mid-1700s, the adjective lackadaisical had been formed to describe these miserable ones and their doings and sayings. Around the same time, the word lackadaisy was introduced to the language as an interjection similar to lackaday; it was never as prevalent as lackaday, but it may have influenced the development of lackadaisical.

Synonyms

• listless
• tired
• languorous
• spiritless
• languid
• exhausted
• weak
• sleepy
• lazy
• limp
• languishing
• weary

Choose the Right Synonym for lackadaisical

languid, languorous, lackadaisical, listless, spiritless mean lacking energy or enthusiasm.

languid refers to an unwillingness or inability to exert oneself due to fatigue or physical weakness.

was depressed and languid for weeks after surgery

languorous suggests a dreamy boredom and delicacy that avoids unnecessary activity.

languorous cats lying in the sun

lackadaisical implies a carefree indifference marked by half-hearted efforts.

lackadaisical college seniors pretending to study

listless suggests a lack of interest caused by physical weakness or dissatisfied boredom.

listless hospital patients

listless children flipping through picture books on a rainy day

spiritless refers to a lack of animation or vigor that gives one's actions and words life.

a spiritless recital of the poem

Examples of lackadaisical in a Sentence

His teachers did not approve of his lackadaisical approach to homework.

feeling particularly lackadaisical in the summer heat, they lazily tossed a ball back and forth

Recent Examples on the Web

And yet, the NBPA takes a lackadaisical and limited approach to regulating agents, as evidenced by its failure to intervene in a lawsuit brought by agent Daniel Hazan against player Malik Beasley. —Chris Deubert, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025

After an error-ridden, lackadaisical loss on Saturday, the Mets still had a golden opportunity to lock down a win on Sunday and salvage the series. —Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025

For the sixth time this season, the Milwaukee Bucks dropped a game to a sub-.500 team with a lackadaisical effort. —Eric Nehm, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025

In an era when singer-songwriter craft can often amount to lackadaisical strumming over threadbare melodies, Joel’s songs feel like some of the last that may be covered 50 years from now. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

irregular from lackaday + -ical

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

lackadaisical

adjective

lack·​a·​dai·​si·​cal ˌlak-ə-ˈdā-zi-kəl 

: lacking spirit or enthusiasm : languid, listless

lackadaisically

-k(ə-)lē 

adverb