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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in delaying
to move or act slowly
don't dillydally on the way to the store
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dawdling
to spend time doing nothing
restaurant employees who, during the slow periods, would rather be doing something instead of just dillydallying
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dillydallying
Adjective
-
Craig Chamberlain planned to have a leisurely breakfast with his wife at Los Muertos beach in Puerto Vallarta.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026 -
There’s also a large pool for morning swims or leisurely gatherings.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Cold temperatures can make oil thicker, delaying its flow.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Bazaldua has argued that the city may save money by having the WNBA team play and practice at existing facilities, as building new ones and delaying the projects increases costs.—
Myah Taylor,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Further, there’s no excuse for Congress to continue dawdling on farm policy.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Aug. 2025
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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
-
Hegseth’s harsh punishment is the culmination of a long, slow slide that began with a political disagreement.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
28 Feb. 2026
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The company didn’t break out Marni revenues, but Marni’s growth has been slower than that of other OTB labels, Diesel and Margiela, in recent years.—
Lucy Maguire,
Vogue,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Though both storms are similar — with a major storm system lingering over the region for over a day and whipping the region with merciless hurricane-level winds, driving inch after inch of wet snow — what made the 1978 storm so devastating was the apparent suddenness of its arrival.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
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Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers seems to be in pole position, but there is still Cole Palmer at Chelsea, Phil Foden at Manchester City and the lingering conundrum of how Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham fits in.—
Rob Tanner,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The car, however, has a feature that automatically turns off the engine after one hour of idling.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Does idling your car really burn that much fuel?—
Ryley Amond,
CNBC,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
An Apple Valley man convicted of murder for setting up a Bloomington marijuana deal and then hitting and dragging the seller with his SUV while speeding off with the drug was sentenced to 12½ years in prison Tuesday.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
24 Feb. 2026
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More broadly, Lawson over-relies on staticky textures and bottomless reverb, occasionally washing the songs together and dragging the album under the weight of its vibes.—
Dash Lewis,
Pitchfork,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Benedict, a diva, is preparing to soak away his troubles in a bath, lounging about in his robe and period-appropriate underwear.—
Christina Grace Tucker,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
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Other slides in the carousel showed bouquets of flowers, lacy pink bras on hangers, a model freeing the nipple in a sheer lace top and matching skirt, bras in multiple color ways, and another model lounging in a chocolate-brown bra and underwear set.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
25 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Dillydallying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dillydallying. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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