as in snails
someone who moves slowly or more slowly than others
tried to spur on the laggards at the back of the line during the hike
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Recent Examples of laggards
Dow component and Club name Honeywell was a big gainer on the week, while Apple was among laggards.
—
Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 14 Feb. 2026
The performance gap between fast learners and laggards is widening.
—Matthew C. Meade, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
There have been a few gaming laggards, including European publisher Ubisoft (down 44%) and accessory specialist Corsair (down 35%).
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 21 Jan. 2026
While laggards optimize margins, leaders accelerate into new markets, building capabilities that compound.
—Mohamad Ali, Fortune, 19 Jan. 2026
Companies that moved early are already enjoying valuation premiums compared with laggards as markets increasingly price in regulatory risk, climate risk, and the opportunity created by low-carbon growth.
—Paul Polman, Time, 25 Nov. 2025
McKinsey researchers also found that the gap in digital transformation maturity between market leaders and laggards has increased by 60% over the past three years.
—Igor Rikalo, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 14 Feb. 2026
The performance gap between fast learners and laggards is widening.
—Matthew C. Meade, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
There have been a few gaming laggards, including European publisher Ubisoft (down 44%) and accessory specialist Corsair (down 35%).
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 21 Jan. 2026
While laggards optimize margins, leaders accelerate into new markets, building capabilities that compound.
—Mohamad Ali, Fortune, 19 Jan. 2026
Companies that moved early are already enjoying valuation premiums compared with laggards as markets increasingly price in regulatory risk, climate risk, and the opportunity created by low-carbon growth.
—Paul Polman, Time, 25 Nov. 2025
McKinsey researchers also found that the gap in digital transformation maturity between market leaders and laggards has increased by 60% over the past three years.
—Igor Rikalo, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laggards
Noun
-
But now, as non-native species of apple snails disappear, the endangered Everglades bird, the snail kite, is paying the price.—
Sofia Baltodano,
Miami Herald,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Pest Control with Cardboard Slugs and snails are drawn to cool, damp cardboard.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Get those ballots filled out, stragglers.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
16 Jan. 2026
-
The last few stragglers are set to report quarterly results this week.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
7 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Laggards.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laggards. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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