Synonyms of lagging

lagging 1 of 2

adjective

as in slow

moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed

the lagging pace of work on the project was worrisome

Synonyms & Similar Words

• slow
• leisurely
• dragging
• laggard
• creeping
• sluggish
• crawling
• slowing
• dilatory
• tardy
• dillydallying
• poking
• poky
• dallying
• unhurried
• snaillike
• dawdling
• languid
• lethargic
• snail-paced
• lingering
• deliberate
• inactive
• loafing
• inert
• lounging
• loitering
• measured
• plodding
• decelerating
• ambling
• stalling
• shuffling
• procrastinating
• tarrying
• strolling
• heavy-footed
• inching
• slow-footed
• filibustering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rapid
• rushing
• running
• lightning
• speedy
• swift
• racing
• hasty
• fast
• speeding
• quick
• breathless
• brisk
• flying
• dizzy
• meteoric
• ready
• fleet
• rocketing
• bolting
• snappy
• whirlwind
• prompt
• expeditious
• accelerated
• hurrying
• breakneck
• whirling
• warp-speed
• barreling
• scudding
• zipping
• scurrying
• scooting
• rushed
• careering
• whisking
• quickened
• hastened
• hurried

lagging

2 of 2

verb

present participle of lag

1

as in fading

to lose bodily strength or vigor

during the fourth quarter the whole team seemed to lag

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fading
• weakening
• sagging
• going
• failing
• sinking
• drooping
• deteriorating
• languishing
• flagging
• decaying
• wilting
• withering
• wasting (away)
• emaciating
• wearing out
• rotting
• yielding
• degenerating
• breaking down
• running down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recovering
• rallying
• gaining
• recuperating
• rebounding
• convalescing

2

as in delaying

to move or act slowly

the tired puppy was lagging behind the rest of the pack

Synonyms & Similar Words

• delaying
• lingering
• dragging
• crawling
• poking
• creeping
• playing
• strolling
• stalling
• dawdling
• loitering
• shuffling
• falling behind
• hanging fire
• moping
• lollygagging
• dropping behind
• diddling
• marking time
• idling
• tarrying
• dillydallying
• staggering
• dallying
• lounging
• taking one's time
• dragging one's feet
• shilly-shallying
• loafing
• decelerating
• trifling
• fiddling (around)
• fooling around
• hanging (around or out)
• inching
• puttering (around)
• sauntering
• pottering (around)
• messing around
• ambling
• monkeying (around)
• procrastinating
• plodding
• slowing (down or up)
• lolling
• easing
• lumbering
• temporizing
• filibustering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• running
• rushing
• tearing
• hurrying
• flying
• racing
• speeding
• ripping
• hastening
• whirling
• whizzing
• bolting
• scurrying
• dashing
• barreling
• rocketing
• coursing
• scooting
• zipping
• scudding
• scrambling
• whisking
• running
• careering
• hustling
• hurtling
• darting
• humping
• bowling
• stampeding
• accelerating
• galloping
• breezing
• trotting
• sprinting
• jogging
• quickening
• speeding (up)
• hotfooting (it)
• outpacing
• overtaking
• outstripping
• outrunning
• catching up
• fast-forwarding

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of lagging

Adjective

Every initiative should identify its operational leading indicator, financial lagging indicator, value owner and realization mechanism. — Todd Bernson, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Just last month, Microsoft began layoffs of 20% of its Xbox employees as part of a sweeping reorganization to revive the company’s lagging games division. — Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026

The United States typically experiences the lagging edge of Latin American displacement waves. — Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025

So while America is most likely still a highly desirable place for all kinds of investors, from the average person putting money into a 401(k) to a professional trader, the lagging performance this year is more than your typical year. — Christian Orozco, NBC news, 12 Nov. 2025

Layer on infrastructure costs, amortization, new storage mandates, refinery retrofits for changing crude blends and the lagging effects of the LCFS credit. — Michael Mische, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2025

Reporting is inconsistent and lagging. — Miami Herald, 1 July 2025

Verb

Other measures suggest disparities persist, with hourly earnings for nonsupervisory and production workers lagging behind inflation. — Josh Wingrove, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026

Taken together, Cramer said those developments have restored his confidence in AI infrastructure stocks after the group spent weeks lagging financials, healthcare companies, and retailers. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026

In the space of 18 months, China has gone from lagging far behind the US to hosting multiple AI models that are nipping at the heels of Silicon Valley’s champions and gaining major traction among users globally. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026

The initiatives are expected to reassure investors who are concerned that Apple is lagging in the AI race. — Sasirekha Subramanian, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Vision is another area where the second-year back is lagging behind Stevenson. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 6 Aug. 2026

After rapidly closing the gap between Gemini and other frontier models last year, Google now appears to be lagging. — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2026

Viraj Puri, who founded Gotham Greens in Brooklyn told the Journal that, despite lagging sales, his company opted against less seeding. — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026

California is both leading and lagging in the latest rankings unveiled on Tuesday, July 28. — Paris Barraza, USA Today, 28 July 2026