lax

¹

[ laks ]

adjective

, lax·er, lax·est.

1. not strict or severe; careless or negligent: a lax attitude toward discipline.

   lax morals;

   a lax attitude toward discipline.

2. loose or slack; not tense, rigid, or firm: a lax handshake.

   a lax rope;

   a lax handshake.

3. not rigidly exact or precise; vague:

   lax ideas.

4. open, loose, or not retentive, as diarrheal bowels.
5. (of a person) having the bowels unusually loose or open.
6. open or not compact; having a loosely cohering structure; porous:

   lax tissue;

   lax texture.

7. Phonetics. (of a vowel) articulated with relatively relaxed tongue muscles. Compare tense ¹( def 4 ).

lax

²

[ laks ]

noun

, Informal.

1. lacrosse:

   To handle my course load, I know I have to cut back on extracurricular activities, but no way am I giving up lax.

lax

/ læks /

adjective

1. lacking firmness; not strict
2. lacking precision or definition
3. not taut
4. phonetics (of a speech sound) pronounced with little muscular effort and consequently having relatively imprecise accuracy of articulation and little temporal duration. In English the vowel i in bit is lax
5. (of flower clusters) having loosely arranged parts

Derived Forms

• ˈlaxly, adverb
• ˈlaxity, noun

Other Words From

• lax·ly adverb
• lax·ness noun
• o·ver·lax adjective
• o·ver·lax·ly adverb
• o·ver·lax·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of lax¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin laxus “loose, spacious, wide”; akin to languēre “to be sluggish, faint, unwell”; cognate with Old English slæc slack ¹

Origin of lax²

First recorded in 1970–75; la(crosse) ( def ) + x ³( def ) “a cross,” (in the sense cross ( def ), a pun on crosse, the stick used in lacrosse)

Word History and Origins

Origin of lax¹

C14 (originally used with reference to the bowels): from Latin laxus loose

Example Sentences

A police investigation led detectives to arrest Wang at LAX as he was returning from a trip to Seattle, prosecutors said.

From Los Angeles Times

Proponents of more punitive measures say homelessness has gotten out of control, undermining the quality of life as cities have become more lax about enforcing laws against camping and public use of drugs and alcohol.

From Los Angeles Times

“They have spent public funds in troubling ways, adopted lax standards and allowed rigor to decline and have allowed the research enterprise to become politicized and ideological.”

From Los Angeles Times

Still, with 9,000 Florida stores selling hemp products, cannabis industry representatives say noncompliant products are widespread and that enforcement is lax.

From Slate

Boeing also has been the target of multiple whistleblower lawsuits that have alleged lax safety and manufacturing practices that resulted in quality-control issues.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• careless
• indifferent
• lenient
• negligent
• sloppy
• soft
• vague