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
1
as in delaying
to move or act slowly
don't dillydally on the way to the store
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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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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dillydallying
Adjective
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Mondays have $5 martinis, mules and margaritas, Fridays and Saturdays are for boogying upstairs and the patio at Metro is an any-day spot for a leisurely drink or three.
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That was when the lensman captured the social set at their leisurely and often strikingly dressed best.
Verb
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The company is a major investor in OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, and a report in The New York Times suggested OpenAI is considering delaying an initial public offering of its stock to next year from the second half of this year.
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The company is a major investor in OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, and a report in The New York Times suggested OpenAI is considering delaying an initial public offering of its stock to next year from the second half of this year.
Verb
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Indeed, Ederson has moments where he can be caught dawdling with the ball, hoping for an opening that doesn’t always arrive.
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Further, there’s no excuse for Congress to continue dawdling on farm policy.
Adjective
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What to expect over the weekend Though Friday was expected to be the slowest day of the competition, the atmosphere at Cal Expo was anything but dull.
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Some residents are calling for civilian volunteers to help clear debris, frustrated by the slow pace of the rescue operations.
Verb
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But for a growing number of older people, those retirement years are arriving with lingering debt problems attached.
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Irving remains on the roster amid lingering questions about his future after missing all of last season.
Verb
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At the same time, the sounds of idling diesel work truck engines have replaced that of dozens of fire trucks that had been stationed there for days.
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The second album this year from metalcore pioneers Converge is named for a mysterious, pulsing, low-frequency ambient drone, likened by those who hear it to a diesel engine, an idling airplane, or a kind of inescapable torture.
Verb
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Yet the latest round of fighting has underscored the group’s resilience, dragging Lebanon into a regional war and drawing the Israeli military back to a familiar southern Lebanon terrain.
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According to the criminal complaint, the boy told police Diggs began choking him before dragging him into the nearby alley.
Verb
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Unlike during recovery months when high-intensity skiing and snowboarding take precedence, the remainder of the year is much more focused on lounging, pampering and connecting with other guests.
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An old recording studio, still adorned with a grand piano, now exists more as a lounging space.
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Cite this Entry
“Dillydallying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dillydallying. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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