leisurely

1 of 2

adverb

lei·​sure·​ly ˈlē-zhər-lē 

ˈle-,

ˈlā-

: without haste : deliberately

leisurely

2 of 2

adjective

: characterized by leisure : unhurried

a leisurely pace

leisureliness noun

Synonyms

Adverb

• laggardly
• pokily
• slow
• slowly
• sluggishly
• tardily

Adjective

• crawling
• creeping
• dallying
• dawdling
• dilatory
• dillydallying
• dragging
• laggard
• lagging
• languid
• poking
• poky
• pokey
• slow
• sluggish
• snail-paced
• snaillike
• tardy
• unhurried

Examples of leisurely in a Sentence

Adverb

the old hound dog leisurely sauntered over to his water bowl to take a drink

Adjective

They strolled along at a leisurely pace.

proceeding in a leisurely fashion

After a leisurely lunch, we went to see a movie.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Marni Rose McFall, U.S. News Reporter Our Evenings Our Evenings Courtesy of Publisher LGBTQ+ Our Evenings by Alan Hollinghurst | Random House A leisurely read; give it two weeks Hollinghurst is something of an unofficial gay laureate in U.K. fiction. —Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025

Gravel Grinding Riders can leisurely pedal over 32 miles of flat rail-to-trail north from Petoskey to Mackinaw City on the North Western State Trail. —Outside Online, 19 May 2025

Adjective

Likewise, maintain a more leisurely pace in rain, fog, snow or heavy traffic. —Jim Gorzelany, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025

Otherwise, consider the more posh neighborhoods of Chelsea and Kensington—ideal for leisurely days spent browsing boutiques and art galleries or strolling over to Notting Hill for coffee and craft bakeries. —Katharine Sohn, Architectural Digest, 16 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1604, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

leisurely

adjective

lei·​sure·​ly

ˈlēzh-ər-lē,

ˈlezh-,

ˈlāzh-

: characterized by leisure : unhurried

a leisurely pace

leisureliness noun

leisurely adverb