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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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dillydallying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of dillydally
1
as in delaying
to move or act slowly don't dillydally on the way to the store

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dillydallying
  1. leisurely
  2. delaying
  3. dawdling
  4. slow
  5. lingering
  6. idling
  7. dragging
  8. loafing
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
  • In addition to suspending operations on the four existing cameras, the village is delaying installation of the other eight until concerns are addressed.
    — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2026
  • While researchers have made tremendous headway in diagnosing the disease early and delaying symptom onset, a cure remains elusive, and a detailed understanding of the mechanisms behind the disease still has too many gaps.
    — Mike McRae September 10, New Atlas, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of delaying
Verb
  • Indeed, Ederson has moments where he can be caught dawdling with the ball, hoping for an opening that doesn’t always arrive.
    — Carl Anka, New York Times, 5 June 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
  • Still, there was a cloud of public doubt lingering over the event.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • For evening observers, this apparition has been more frustrating than triumphant, with Venus lingering low in the glow of twilight instead of climbing into a commanding position.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 5 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.

Browse Nearby Words

dillydally
dillydallying
dilute
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Cite this Entry

“Dillydallying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dillydallying. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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