as in leisurely
moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed
the dallying diners seemed oblivious to the fact that other customers were impatiently waiting for tables
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in loafing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in playing
to engage in activity for amusement
he spent his college years dallying, seemingly determined to acquire as little knowledge as possible
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in delaying
to move or act slowly
don't dally on the way to the interview
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in flirting
to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun
she spent the summer dallying with a guy renting the neighboring beach house
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in dawdling
to spend time doing nothing
I kept dallying at my desk until I couldn't put off doing my work any longer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dallying
Adjective
-
Just like the trains themselves, these glamorous culinary experiences are reminiscent of the golden era of travel, with gracious table-settings, intricate confections, and a leisurely, unhurried pace.—
Jessica Puckett,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Feb. 2026 -
The hike up took under two hours at a leisurely pace, and the 360-degree views of the entire island were surreal.—
James Barrett,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Maybe the girl had crawled under a neighbor's trailer while playing hide-and-seek.—
Kristine Phillips,
IndyStar,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Massey also has experience playing the outfield, which should keep him in a regular role.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Mist causing low visibility stopped training in the women's downhill skiing training session this morning, delaying Team USA's Lindsey Vonn's return to the slopes after suffering an ACL injury that threatened to keep her out of these Games altogether.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The sheriff leading the investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie acknowledged that missteps were made in the case’s early hours, including removing crime scene tape and delaying requests for assistance from outside law enforcement agencies.—
Stepheny Price , Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
See if cornerback Jalen Ramsey’s timeline matches that of the Steelers after flirting with the possibility of a reunion last spring.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The world’s largest cryptocurrency fell more than 10% Thursday alone and is now down about 20% this week — a sharp reversal from last fall, when bitcoin was flirting with record highs and optimism around crypto was everywhere.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Further, there’s no excuse for Congress to continue dawdling on farm policy.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Aug. 2025
-
Faster pit stops could also help unlock sales for electric two-wheelers, which have been slow to catch on due to dawdling charge times and limited riding range.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Mar. 2023
Adjective
-
The studio believes that February, once seen as a slow month for moviegoing, has become a much more lucrative corridor to release films.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
6 Feb. 2026
-
What was once a slow squeeze has become an acute system failure for patients statewide.—
Andrew Hevesi,
New York Daily News,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The pup, named Eba, appeared immune to being rushed and trotted behind at the farthest extent of her leash, tongue lolling, black eyes squinting in the afternoon sun.—
Kelso Harper,
Scientific American,
16 Dec. 2025
-
After a few days of snorkeling and beach-lolling, the view from our helicopter transfer to the Miavana resort on the island of Nosy Ankao just off Madagascar’s northeast, painted an alarmingly different picture.—
Chris Schalkx,
Vogue,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Experts say a lingering cold air mass across the Midwest could keep temperatures below historical averages well into early spring.—
Brandi D. Addison,
IndyStar,
3 Feb. 2026
-
By Monday, any lingering concerns about Warsh or his history of hawkishness had been largely put aside as Wall Street turned its attention to surprisingly strong US manufacturing data.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
3 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Dallying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dallying. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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