as in leisurely
moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed
I hate being stuck behind laggard drivers on the freeway
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in snail
someone who moves slowly or more slowly than others
tried to spur on the laggards at the back of the line during the hike
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of laggard
Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 21 Mar. 2022
However, the American pandemic response has also been faulted for an at times laggard pace at tracking and analyzing the spread of the virus compared to its counterparts abroad.
—Alexander Tin, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2022
Sean Conlon, CNBC, 9 Jan. 2026
Geothermal power is surely not the only deserving laggard.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for laggard
Adjective
These are all new cores from ARM, and the big and little cores are 64-bit only, with only the medium cores able to run any laggard 32-bit applications.
—Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 21 Mar. 2022
However, the American pandemic response has also been faulted for an at times laggard pace at tracking and analyzing the spread of the virus compared to its counterparts abroad.
—Alexander Tin, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2022
Noun
Utilities and information technology were the two laggards, with utilities falling more than 1% and tech flat on the week.
—Sean Conlon, CNBC, 9 Jan. 2026
Geothermal power is surely not the only deserving laggard.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for laggard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laggard
Adjective
-
Margot Robbie layered hers up for a leisurely walk in London, using classic staples such as a polo sweater, loose relaxed denim, and Converse high-top sneakers, completing her weekend travel edit.—
Kristina Rutkowski,
Vogue,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Challenge yourself to see the views at MacRae Peak at Grandfather Mountain, traverse the Appalachian Trail, or take a leisurely hike along the Blue Ridge Parkway.—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Coffee grounds are also often used to deter slugs and snails, reduce weeds without chemicals, and even repel neighborhood strays.—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The stacked transporter will inch along at a careful snail’s pace of about 1 mile per hour, according to NASA.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
17 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The Commission, the EU’s executive arm, has decided that the pace of EV sales is far too slow and has proposed a new category of small and seriously affordable cars.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
States and cities that have loosened building constraints are already seeing slower rent growth compared to heavily regulated markets.—
J.D. Hayworth,
Boston Herald,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The lagging percentage of women film directors last year is a clear sign that the industry is going backward, said Kirsten Schaffer, chief executive of WIF, which advocates for women in Hollywood.—
Samantha Masunaga,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2026
-
The United States typically experiences the lagging edge of Latin American displacement waves.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The offense was sluggish in the second half and once again struggled to hit shots from 3-point range, while the defense allowed the Cowboys (14-5, 3-3) to hover around 50% shooting most of the night.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Kraft Heinz shares have plunged about 70% since the 2015 merger that created the ketchup-making giant, weighed down by shifting consumer tastes, rising costs and sluggish growth across core brands.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Laggard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laggard. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
