Synonyms of truant

truant 1 of 2

adjective

as in absent

not present at a mandatory time and place

Her son was suspended after being truant from school a number of times.

Related Words

• absent
• AWOL
• retired
• away
• out
• missing
• departed
• abroad
• gone
• vacationing

Dissimilar Words

• attending
• participating
• present
• here
• accompanying
• in

truant

2 of 2

verb

as in to lazy

Related Words

• lazy
• idle
• malinger
• bum
• furlough
• dawdle
• goldbrick
• laze
• hang (around or out)
• fool
• hack (around)
• monkey
• lounge
• trifle
• goof (off)
• drone
• kick back
• mess
• loaf
• loiter
• veg out
• fiddle (around)
• muck
• piddle
• hang about
• loll
• dillydally
• chill
• dally
• potter (around)
• footle
• putter (around)
• play
• estivate
• doze
• lag
• linger
• hibernate
• saunter
• kick around
• stroll
• swan
• tarry
• rest
• mosey
• amble
• feign
• poke
• relax
• deceive
• fake

Dissimilar Words

• slave
• work
• toil
• plod
• labor
• grind
• hustle
• plow
• sweat
• plug
• drudge
• buckle (down)
• grub
• apply
• peg
• hump
• moil
• travail
• put out
• exert

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of truant

Adjective

In a late January social media post, district officials said any student participating in a walkout would be considered truant and given an unexcused absence. — Emily Donaldson, San Antonio Express-News, 16 Feb. 2026

In Kentucky, a 2024 law requiring court referrals for truant students led to a surge of families pulling their children out of public schools to homeschool, rather than face legal consequences. — Jon England, Mercury News, 2 Dec. 2025

The Moorhead Resource team steps in when students are at risk of being expelled or becoming truant to create a plan to address any underlying issues. — Caroline Beck, IndyStar, 2 July 2025

School personnel also would be prohibited from referring truant students to police to be ticketed as punishment. — Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, 29 May 2025