as in delay
a state, a habit, or an instance of being slow or late about doing something that should be done
Though she has a tendency towards procrastination, she never fails to turn in her papers on time.
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Recent Examples of procrastination
Read the Bee’s full guide to Election Day procrastination here.
—
Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026
No amount of procrastination can undo the fact that language forces a decision about who is speaking, who is addressed, and who is being spoken about.
—Erika Landström, Artforum, 2 June 2026
The sports ticket market generally doesn’t reward procrastination but this one might.
—Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
Caroline first learned about the Hole in her twenties by reading mommy blogs, a form of procrastination less about satisfying any conscious curiosity about motherhood and more about finding comfort in the easy intimacy with which these women wrote about their own lives.
—Literary Hub, 9 Apr. 2026
When the future feels uncertain, paralysis can look like procrastination.
—Ali Kaufman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
The Trimmer understands that a strategic delay is not procrastination, but a patient wait until the situation clarifies itself.
—David Brooks, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Raking and Disposing of Leaves in the Fall Any home gardener who likes indulging in procrastination will love to hear this one.
—Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 25 Feb. 2026
Perfectionism is just a socially acceptable form of procrastination.
—Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026
No amount of procrastination can undo the fact that language forces a decision about who is speaking, who is addressed, and who is being spoken about.
—Erika Landström, Artforum, 2 June 2026
The sports ticket market generally doesn’t reward procrastination but this one might.
—Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
Caroline first learned about the Hole in her twenties by reading mommy blogs, a form of procrastination less about satisfying any conscious curiosity about motherhood and more about finding comfort in the easy intimacy with which these women wrote about their own lives.
—Literary Hub, 9 Apr. 2026
When the future feels uncertain, paralysis can look like procrastination.
—Ali Kaufman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
The Trimmer understands that a strategic delay is not procrastination, but a patient wait until the situation clarifies itself.
—David Brooks, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Raking and Disposing of Leaves in the Fall Any home gardener who likes indulging in procrastination will love to hear this one.
—Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 25 Feb. 2026
Perfectionism is just a socially acceptable form of procrastination.
—Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for procrastination
Noun
-
Sanfilippo is a fatal pediatric neurodegenerative disorder, with each delay in treatment equaling permanent neurological decline.—
Elise Esposito,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
-
Artemis program Due to the Mark 1 issues outlined above, there will either be significant delays to, or the need to restructure the early phases of, the Moon Base program.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
And the cost of this avoidance is financial as well as cultural.—
Patrick Jinks,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
When signs of stress or avoidance are detected, the stimulation is automatically suspended.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Here, as ever, Kokopeli suggests that clinging to youthful talismans offers no protection against uncertainty, and reasserts the odd mix of disaffection and morbid glee produced by such reactionary impulses.—
Theo Belci,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
In a world full of uncertainty, clarity is everything.—
David Morel,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
It is called a waiting room, because the expectation of waiting is built into the architecture and culture of medicine.—
Iyesatta Massaquoi Emeli,
STAT,
2 June 2026
-
Nasdaq introduced a rule change this year, shortening the three-month waiting period for stocks to be included in the index to 15 days.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Procrastination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/procrastination. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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