LAYABOUT Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

layabout

noun

ˈlā-ə-ˌbau̇t

Definition of layabout

as in slug

a lazy person she regretted ever asking that layabout to be her roommate, as he created the mess of two people and refused to help with anything

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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 layabout As the story begins, Mary and Boo are neighbors, unemployed millennial layabouts who rarely leave their rooms. — Katie Rife, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026 Tamma’s mother is partnered with a drug-dealing layabout; Dan’s mother, a onetime successful novelist, has a worsening heart condition. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2026 Not surprisingly, some colonists preferred to be layabouts. — The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 27 Nov. 2025 Moore’s then-husband Bruce Willis plays against-type as the abusive layabout husband of hairdresser Joyce (Glenne Headly). — Katie Rife, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for layabout

Recent Examples of Synonyms for layabout

Noun

Their hearts and parapodia (appendages for swimming and crawling) regenerate, and in 17 days the slugs are good as new.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 July 2026
The effect has been especially damaging on corals, oysters, and free-swimming snails and slugs.

— Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 9 July 2026

Definition of slug

Noun

The Coliseum stayed in business for 500 years, bums in seats twice a week, watching people hack each other to death.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
Sometimes there is a fine line between being a hero or a bum, but Dave has been able to negotiate that line, because players trust him, and the players know that Dave cares about them and their families.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026

Definition of bum

Noun

To track down her mother, Lila teams up with her deadbeat father for a journey that includes grudge-settling, Russian criminals, and corrupt politicians.

— Diya Chacko, Oc Register, 18 May 2026
Based on a script by Justin Varava that made the 2024 Black List, Turpentine follows a deadbeat son who hires friends to rob his own parents to pay off a bookie, with disastrous results.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 May 2026

Definition of deadbeat

Noun

Their name exudes the essence of an idler and slacker, but women’s loafers themselves are quite the opposite.

— Gaby Keiderling, Harper's BAZAAR, 19 Jan. 2023
This represents the loss of an idea of what the capital should represent, the removal of a place that was an idler’s haven.

— Anandi Mishra, The Atlantic, 30 July 2022

Definition of idler

Noun

Scar then proceeds to desolate the kingdom, with the help of hyenas, while Simba, in exile, grows up to become a pleasure-hunting, grub-eating sluggard.

— Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 19 July 2019
Clearly, supervision at your job is lax, and your sluggard classmate is taking advantage of that.

— Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2017

Definition of sluggard

Noun

This archival style has a slightly long cuff and just the right amount of slouch, making the silhouette feel more designer than its price tag suggests.

— Natalie Cantell, InStyle, 3 July 2026
Lucky Brand’s 410 model has gone on sale — all the more reason to cosign its deep indigo wash, contrast stitching, mid-rise waist, and subtle slouch.

— Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 22 June 2026

Definition of slouch

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layabouts

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Style

“Layabout.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layabout. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of layabout

noun

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