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
Relevance
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
-
Start the day with grab-and-go breakfast tacos and end it with a leisurely dinner of Wagyu beef fajitas or the Dandy Don, an enchilada sampler made with locally famous La Norteña tortillas.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 May 2026 -
Its activewear combines fitness, sports with the leisurely surf style.—
Ella Gonzales
May 4,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
San Diego is delaying most impacts of a new state law that requires cities to allow high-rise housing near trolley stations and major bus stops — but questions persist about how many bus stops the new law will affect.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Yamaha’s plant shut down due to Covid-19, delaying TCW’s ability to retrieve and return the equipment in the allotted time, but Evergreen still charged the fees.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Further, there’s no excuse for Congress to continue dawdling on farm policy.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Aug. 2025
-
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
-
But so far, progress has been slow — if not nonexistent.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Russia’s bigger and better-equipped army has been engaged in a slow, hard slog in Ukraine.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Damp conditions inside the drum encourage mildew and lingering odors that can be tough to remove from fabric.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
-
The filmmaker explores how Inés’ coming of age mirrors the lingering wounds of Chile’s political transition to democracy from the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet – a theme at the heart of Martelli’s feature debut Chile ’76, which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
During air quality advisories, Derf recommends people avoid idling in a drive-thru for too long or mowing during air quality advisories because that could increase emissions.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
For example, Casa Familiar’s comprehensive air quality study in San Ysidro has helped shed light on the pollution South Bay communities endure from idling cars at the border, local heavy industry and Tijuana.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Travelers end up dragging coats through museums or try to shove them into already full suitcases before a train transfer.—
Chantelle Kincy,
Travel + Leisure,
10 May 2026
-
That’s led to a stark split between Wall Street analysts and energy experts, who have been warning that oil supplies could head off a cliff in the coming months or even weeks, dragging the global economy down in the process.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
The hotel’s slim set of measured, crisp rooms draws a low-key crowd, ranging from honeymooners to city weekenders from Kuala Lumpur, all lounging with the same welcome, unpretentious ease of the hotel itself.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 May 2026
-
Dress them down with sneakers and a tank top while running errands or lounging around the house, or dress them up with loafers and a blouse for a day at the office or dinner with friends.—
Averi Baudler,
PEOPLE,
5 May 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Dillydallying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dillydallying. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
