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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.
Examples of lackadaisical in a Sentence
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 20 Dec. 2025
But this is just a step too far against an Oregon team that won't be lackadaisical.
—Jordan Mendoza, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025
George Pickens could be under spotlight again After a week of noise that saw Cowboys receiver George Pickens draw a lot of criticism for his lackadaisical performance against the Detroit Lions, his numbers don’t look much better coming out of Sunday night’s second consecutive loss.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Dec. 2025
After making the 53-man roster outright as an unknown playmaking cornerback, the Patriots cut James a day after their season opener for lackadaisical play.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lackadaisical
Cite this Entry
“Lackadaisical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lackadaisical. Accessed 29 Dec. 2025.
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lackadaisical
adjective
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