lazy 1 of 2

lazy

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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 lazy
Adjective
Endorsing lazy rightwing talking points about Biden and border security, and nations not existing without borders? Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025 On an underneath throw to Zach Ertz from Commanders backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, Bland cut off the lazy throw and returned it 68 yards for his sixth career interception return for a touchdown. Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2025 No death-defying rapids here on this lazy, looping stretch easily paddled by families in canoes. Stephen Trimble, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025 Whether making breakfast for a lazy Saturday morning, feeding a house full of guests, or prepping for a potluck brunch, breakfast casseroles will always be a crowd favorite. Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lazy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lazy
Adjective
  • Grand pianos and half-full liquor bottles collect dust, while colorful children’s playrooms scattered with toys are unsettlingly idle.
    Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
  • But Samantha Bird, who was laid off from her job as pastry chef for Milles Fleurs restaurant in Rancho Santa Fe, didn’t stay idle for long.
    Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • He was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and was later issued a summons for no insurance, careless driving and leaving the scene of an accident, officials said.
    Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Jenkins’ fumble was due to careless ball-handling, although two members of his offensive line got bull-rushed, leading to the pressure.
    Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was bummed out by Tech’s decision.
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Democrats’ most visible strategy appears to be trying to bum a few bucks from the grassroots—when the grassroots’ greatest power is in protest, boycott, and other unified mobilization efforts.
    Sarah Stankorb, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Here, then, are 8 financial fixes for anyone with an hour to spare on a sleepy Sunday morning.
    Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
  • For months, New Jersey’s 2025 governor’s race was considered sleepy political theater—the kind expected to reaffirm the state’s blue credentials before national operatives move on.
    Nik Popli, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Director Kim Jee-woon uses every trick in the haunted-house book when spinning the tale of two vulnerable sisters, their neglectful father, and their evil stepmother, all of whom are trapped together in a shabby (but beautifully filmed) old country house.
    Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
  • One of the tale’s bitterest ironies is that Victor will become a more demanding, more neglectful, and vastly more destructive father figure than Leopold ever was.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Instead of setting up a spot on the sand, beachgoers typically pitch their chairs in the shallow clear blue water and laze the day away.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2025
  • Conrad is literally ready to skip his whole Brussels conference in order to laze around in bed with Belly for the next several days, but Belly has cold feet.
    Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 17 Sep. 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
Verb
  • Former President Joe Biden also praised Pelosi, even though their relationship chilled after her role in efforts to pressure him to drop out of the 2024 presidential campaign.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Other snapshots included one of Graham chilling in a pink sweatsuit in the backseat of a car, her $1,250 dress and heels in a pile beside her.
    Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lazy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lazy. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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