laziness 1 of 3

lazy

2 of 3

adjective

lazy

3 of 3

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word lazy distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words indolent and slothful are common synonyms of lazy. While all three words mean "not easily aroused to activity," lazy suggests a disinclination to work or to take trouble.

take-out foods for lazy cooks

When is it sensible to use indolent instead of lazy?

Although the words indolent and lazy have much in common, indolent suggests a love of ease and a dislike of movement or activity.

the heat made us indolent

When might slothful be a better fit than lazy?

While in some cases nearly identical to lazy, slothful implies a temperamental inability to act promptly or speedily when action or speed is called for.

fired for being slothful about filling orders

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 laziness
Noun
Slides, hoodie w/ headphones just signals laziness. Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 22 Aug. 2025 The daters Julie Nguyen works with are more likely to be floored by the laziness, spelling errors, and sheer audacity of the people on the other end. Angela Haupt, Time, 11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Of course, some cliches are nothing but lazy thinking. Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025 That kind of artistic abdication can sometimes come off as lazy, but in this case there was something heartwarming about letting the enthusiastic crowd carry that weight with joy and high fives all around. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 29 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for laziness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laziness
Noun
  • The company emphasizes 360° capture, low inertia, and direct-drive operation for low noise and minimal maintenance.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Gravitas, holding others steady without overwhelming their inertia.
    Scott Hutcheson, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • By selectively powering down idle components, Arcam claims the overall noise floor is significantly decreased.
    Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • The Irish are 0-1 and staring at an idle weekend with plenty to work on after a 27-24 loss in Miami on the Sunday night of Week 1.
    Pete Sampson, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • For instance, an officer or insurance adjuster might claim your lack of footwear contributed to reckless or careless driving, and the matter could even be brought up in court or during an insurance review.
    Georgea Kovanis, The Courier-Journal, 3 Sep. 2025
  • This Earth sign can be quite the perfectionist, preferring order and discernment over anything remotely vague and careless.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • That’s what was bumming him out.
    Emily Longeretta, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
  • To be this close over and over is really bumming me out.
    Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • After dropping a sleepy rubber match to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, the Tigers have lost nine of their past 13 games.
    Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
  • In recent years, the government even started paying people to move to its sleepy medieval villages.
    Siobhan Reid, Robb Report, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Parents, even the well-meaning ones, tend to be neglectful, or also dead.
    Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
  • Named after the minimalist philosopher who apparently lived in a jar in Athens, and who also lent his name to Diogenes syndrome, a disorder of neglectful hoarding.
    James Folta, Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Located on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, Los Cabos is a great destination to laze about beachside or go on a deep-sea excursion.
    Essence, Essence, 25 Aug. 2025
  • And poor, engine‑damaging quality or not, the ersatz aviation fuel had to work only once to get a kamikaze plane up and away to hit one of the enemy warships now lazing about in the offing around the Home Islands, often close enough to be spotted from shore with the naked eye.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Sixty-five-year-old Jep Gambardella, indolent and disenchanted, his eyes permanently imbued with gin and tonic, watches this parade of hollow, doomed, powerful yet depressed humanity.
    Leo Barraclough, Variety, 4 Aug. 2025
  • Her tumor appears ominous but is, by nature, indolent—slow-growing, noninvasive, never destined to threaten her life.
    Siddhartha Mukherjee, New Yorker, 16 June 2025

Cite this Entry

“Laziness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laziness. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.

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