MALINGERING Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

malingering

verb

present participle of malinger

as in idling

to pretend to be sick or injured in order to avoid doing work Because of his frequent absences, his boss suspected he was malingering.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for malingering

Verb

In a 2002 case, a man and a woman in Belmont Cragin were similarly found dead in an idling car inside a garage.

— Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026
Companies across the industry have been idling facilities, with Suntory pausing production at one of Jim Beamâ€™s three Kentucky distilleries to upgrade the site while demand is low.

— Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of idling

Verb

His Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Jessep isn’t fooling anyone with the calculated nonchalance and the propensity for quoting Melville and Shakespeare.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
Scammers had been fooling Apple by returning iPhone boxes with the original accessories, internal components, or even the phone itself swapped out.

— Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of fooling

Verb

Saddiq Bey had 13 points for New Orleans, which was playing the opener of a two-game California trip.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2026
The digital creator has gone viral a number of times in the past for his whiteface sketches, from playing a rowdy redneck to Erika Kirk.

— Marlow Stern, Variety, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of playing

Verb

The results raised long-standing concerns over the quality of work and whether the lingering contamination could present risks to the residents.

— Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
An upper-level low moving overhead could produce a few lingering showers north of I-78, especially in the Poconos and far northern New Jersey, but Philadelphia and most of South Jersey should stay dry.

— CBS News, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of lingering

Verb

After returning from the trip in late October, Tuyumvire has been resting and resuming his routine following the physical demands of kayaking.

— Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Nov. 2026
Stemming for the oval medallion resting on Cabello’s upper ankle was a beaded cross medallion extending down to her toes.

— Erin Wisti, Footwear News, 14 Nov. 2026

Definition of resting

Verb

Kids who used to run to the field excited to play, suddenly started loafing to the field wearing their crocs with their heads buried in their phones.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
The pair had been loafing for some time among a grove of apple trees on a private residence in Payson.

— Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 20 Feb. 2026

Definition of loafing

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.

Browse Nearby Words

malingerers

malingering

malingers

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Malingering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malingering. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of malingering

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

lissome

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes