DILLYDALLYING Synonyms: 188 Similar and Opposite Words

dillydallying 1 of 2

adjective

as in leisurely

moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed the dillydallying congress hadn't passed any legislation, and the term was almost over

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dillydallying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of dillydally

as in delaying

to move or act slowly don't dillydally on the way to the store

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in dawdling

to spend time doing nothing restaurant employees who, during the slow periods, would rather be doing something instead of just dillydallying

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dillydallying

Adjective

Before a night out filling your belly with local grub in the Old Port (which is a leisurely 20 minutes away on foot), hit the Five of Clubs bar for a seasonal drink like the cantaloupe- and lemon-laced Melancholia, along with half a dozen oysters.

— Lori Keong, Architectural Digest, 7 Sep. 2026
In lower Manhattan and beyond — caught by paparazzi — he can be seen out and about in big sunglasses and tiny shorts, taking leisurely strolls with his fiancée, Zoë Kravitz.

— Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of leisurely

Verb

Gvardiol looked jittery early on, rallied a little to break up some dangerous Porto attacks, but then started giving the ball away again and was booked for a needless pull after being caught dawdling in possession.

— Thom Harris, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Further, there’s no excuse for Congress to continue dawdling on farm policy.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025

Definition of dawdling

Adjective

Complex carbs with fiber slow digestion and sugar absorption, while protein and fat further delay digestion, helping to stabilize blood sugar.

— Mira Miller, Verywell Health, 17 Sep. 2026
Longer messages mean slower communication, so people who study error-correcting codes devise more elaborate schemes to minimize the redundancy in the transmissions while maximizing the number of errors that can be corrected.

— Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of slow

Verb

But now there’s the lingering unknown amid a fight that can feel endless.

— Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
The film’s cast is mostly made up of tribal non-actors, but Anghlong Konyak is its captivating center, as a man whose stubbornness against change sits alongside a lingering grief over his fading way of life.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of lingering

Verb

Working with Nic was like driving a Lamborghini that could shift from unbreakable speed to idling like a purring lioness.

— Griffin Dunne, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026
If drivers are caught idling, a picture of their license plate will be taken and they will be charged a $100 fine.

— Marissa Sulek, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of idling

Verb

Shares of Bank of America fell about 5% on Monday, dragging other financials with it, as investors baked in lower positive operating leverage this year.

— Jeff Marks, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
That is complemented by Fernandes dragging Dias out of position, which allows Mbeumo to attack the vacated space.

— Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of dragging

Verb

Kids who used to run to the field excited to play, suddenly started loafing to the field wearing their crocs with their heads buried in their phones.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
The pair had been loafing for some time among a grove of apple trees on a private residence in Payson.

— Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 20 Feb. 2026

Definition of loafing

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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dillydally

dillydallying

dilute

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“Dillydallying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dillydallying. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of dillydallying

adjective

verb

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