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
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
  1. leisurely
  2. delaying
  3. dawdling
  4. slow
  5. lingering
  6. idling
  7. dragging
  8. loafing
Adjective
  • That turned a familiar one-run game, of which the Dodgers have had a lot lately, into a leisurely Sunday stroll.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Unfolding at a more leisurely pace, the upcoming lunar eclipse will have a much bigger audience than Europe’s solar show.
    — Marcia Dunn, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of leisurely
Verb
  • The cost-cutting measures ended up delaying production, raising costs regardless.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
  • His family publicly accused the workers' compensation system of delaying and denying needed care.
    — Ginger Allen, CBS News, 19 Aug. 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
  • The challenge is that the hydrogen evolution reaction is slower in alkaline environments, increasing the need for catalysts that can deliver high activity without rapidly losing performance.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026
  • As Mikhail Gorbachev became Soviet premier and promised new openness with a policy of glasnost, a slow thaw would begin toward free speech, human rights, the release of political dissidents and relaxed restrictions on emigration.
    — Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of slow
Verb
  • Rain has already begun to move across the Big Island and is expected to continue through at least Monday, with lingering rain still impacting some of the islands possibly on Tuesday.
    — Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • If any lingering question of home-court advantage persisted, it was made crystal clear in the final 30 seconds who had the biggest backing, as Barclays erupted in celebration of the Liberty’s game-winning plays down the stretch.
    — Annie Costabile, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of lingering
Verb
  • Residents described idling in traffic as roads became jammed with evacuees.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Not only that, unnecessary idling isn’t exactly great for your car’s engine.
    — Molly Burford, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of idling
Verb
  • Main Street pain Meanwhile, Treasury yields are dragging on Main Street.
    — Matt Peterson, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Enes Kanter Freedom turned Angel Reese's latest crunch-time miss into fresh ammo Sunday, roasting the Atlanta Dream star while somehow dragging Paul George into his ongoing WNBA campaign.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 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 26 Aug. 2026.

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