lax

adjective

\ ˈlaks

Definition of lax

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a of the bowels : loose, open

b : having loose bowels

2 : deficient in firmness : not stringent lax control a lax foreman security has been lax

3a : not tense, firm, or rigid : slack a lax rope

b : having an open or loose texture a lax soil

c : having the constituents spread apart a lax flower cluster

4 : articulated with the muscles involved in a relatively relaxed state (such as the vowel \i\ in contrast with the vowel \ē\)

lax

noun

Definition of lax (Entry 2 of 2)

: lacrosse

Other Words from lax Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about lax

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Other Words from lax

Adjective

laxation \ lak-ˈsā-shən

\ noun

laxly \ ˈlaks-lē

\ adverb

laxness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for lax

Adjective

negligent, neglectful, lax, slack, remiss mean culpably careless or indicative of such carelessness. negligent implies inattention to one's duty or business. negligent about writing a note of thanks neglectful adds a more disapproving implication of laziness or deliberate inattention. a society callously neglectful of the poor lax implies a blameworthy lack of strictness, severity, or precision. a reporter lax about accurate quotation slack implies want of due or necessary diligence or care. slack workmanship remiss implies blameworthy carelessness shown in slackness, forgetfulness, or neglect. had been remiss in their familial duties

Examples of lax in a Sentence

Adjective

The university has been lax about enforcing these rules. lax parents who let their kids stay out as late as they want

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

For years, Tumblr had allowed communities that promoted and shared adult content freely, thanks to Tumblr’s arguably lax approach to the monitoring of adult content. — Sydney Greene, Teen Vogue, "How Tumblr's Porn Ban Could Put Sex Workers at Risk," 6 Dec. 2018 If your throat muscles become too lax, your airways can constrict, leading oxygen levels in your body to drop. — Korin Miller, SELF, "7 Reasons You Might Wake Up Gasping for Air," 2 Oct. 2018 To the wider populace, the notion sounds lax; prison isn’t a vacation. — Mattie Kahn, Glamour, "Inside a Radical Experiment to Transform the Lives of Incarcerated Women," 22 Aug. 2018 His legislation also provided the loophole and lax language that allows states to keep food stamps for able-bodied adults without children. — William La Jeunesse, Fox News, "Food stamp use drops only slightly as economy soars," 20 Aug. 2018 The Cambridge Analytica breach happened because of Facebook’s lax oversight of developers and data sharing; today’s issue happened because of another breakdown in communication between Facebook and developers. — Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge, "Facebook exposed up to 6.8 million users’ private photos to developers in latest leak," 14 Dec. 2018 At least 12,000 people die each year in road accidents often blamed on faulty vehicles, reckless driving and lax traffic enforcement. — Julhas Alam, Fox News, "Police, protesters clash in Bangladesh capital; many injured," 4 Aug. 2018 Universities that handle uranium often have lax security. — Daily Intelligencer, "This Is What a Nuclear Bomb Looks Like," 12 June 2018 This leak, coming only days after the lax security at Securus was exposed, demonstrates how little companies throughout the wireless ecosystem value Americans’ security. — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, "Website leaked real-time location of most US cell phones to almost anyone," 17 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lax.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.