shiftless

[ shift-lis ]

adjective

1. lacking in resourcefulness; inefficient; lazy.

   Synonyms: indolent, careless, slothful

2. lacking in incentive, ambition, or aspiration.

shiftless

/ ˈʃɪftlɪs /

adjective

1. lacking in ambition or initiative

Derived Forms

• ˈshiftlessly, adverb
• ˈshiftlessness, noun

Other Words From

• shiftless·ly adverb
• shiftless·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of shiftless¹

First recorded in 1555–65; shift + -less

Example Sentences

For much of that time—in letters, newspapers, books, and speeches—many white people commonly described enslaved African Americans as shiftless or lazy, disrespectful or “uppity,” and ignorant.

From Literature

But when the Mexicans started coming from southern states with larger Indigenous populations, my relatives saw them as shiftless flojos — lazy people — who weren’t like our Mexicans.

From Los Angeles Times

"Think of the Goof as a composite of an everlasting optimist, a gullible Good Samaritan, a half-wit, a shiftless, good-natured colored boy, and a hick," Babbitt told his staff in 1934.

From Salon

Throughout American history, some people, whether simply down on their luck or different from the majority, have been stereotyped as immoral, lazy, shiftless — in short, undeserving.

From Salon

Elaine is not some shiftless next-door neighbor whom you can attack with impunity, some member of a competing tribe who must be dispatched with dispatch.

From Washington Post