Synonyms of deadbeat

deadbeat

noun

ˈded-ˌbēt 

as in slug

a lazy person

he snapped instructions to the deadbeats who were standing around watching the work pile up

Synonyms & Similar Words

• slug
• drone
• snail
• bum
• layabout
• loafer
• idler
• do-nothing
• sluggard
• slouch
• lazybones
• couch potato
• good-for-nothing
• lotus-eater
• slugabed
• delayer
• laggard
• shirker
• creeper
• straggler
• crawler
• slacker
• slowpoke
• lingerer
• dawdler
• loiterer
• stick-in-the-mud
• procrastinator
• goldbrick
• malingerer
• dropout
• ne'er-do-well
• putterer
• clock-watcher
• saunterer
• quitter
• loller
• dallier
• lounger

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hustler
• doer
• hummer
• comer
• achiever
• self-starter
• go-ahead
• powerhouse
• go-getter
• live wire
• highflier

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of deadbeat

As half owner of that house, you are entitled to live in it without being berated by a deadbeat. — Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 11 Nov. 2025

As half-owner of that house, you are entitled to live in it without being berated by a deadbeat. — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2025

The world’s biggest deadbeat has passed the begging bowl again. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2025

Keery, with a dirty-blond dye job and a sweet deadbeat demeanor, might draw some Stranger Things fans, especially since the mix of ‘80s nostalgia with creeping dread, gory set-pieces, droll character banter and humor hatched out of fear land somewhere near that show’s tonal wavelength. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019