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
Many of those laggards are rallying.
—
Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
Sunday saw many laggards penalized for failure to obey the national summons.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 1 Apr. 2026
The California Democratic Party pitched its new, periodic polls as a way to help voters and campaigns make sense of the unusually wide-open race for governor — and help encourage laggards to quit the race.
—Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
The conflict is creating leaders and laggards, JPMorgan analysts wrote Monday.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 3 Mar. 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
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, 8 Apr. 2026
Sunday saw many laggards penalized for failure to obey the national summons.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 1 Apr. 2026
The California Democratic Party pitched its new, periodic polls as a way to help voters and campaigns make sense of the unusually wide-open race for governor — and help encourage laggards to quit the race.
—Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
The conflict is creating leaders and laggards, JPMorgan analysts wrote Monday.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 3 Mar. 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
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
-
Brassicas such as broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts are usually hit hard by pests, including slugs, snails, and cabbage loopers.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Cutworms, slugs, and snails are among the creatures that could be deterred.—
Shagun Khare,
The Spruce,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This spring, Brood II stragglers will emerge between late April and May in states like Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Connecticut, and North Carolina, according to a map from the University of Connecticut.—
Finch Walker,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2026
-
They’re known, aptly, as stragglers.—
Addy Bink,
The Hill,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Laggards.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laggards. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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