Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

lazy

American  
[ley-zee] / ˈleɪ zi /

adjective

lazier, laziest

  1. tending to avoid work, activity, or exertion.

    She was too lazy to take out the trash, so it just continued to pile up.
    Synonyms:
    slothful
    Antonyms:
    industrious

  2. causing or characterized by idleness or inactivity.

    It was a hot, lazy afternoon.

    I’m having a lazy day today, just lounging and watching movies.

  3. slow-moving; sluggish.

    a lazy stream.
    Synonyms:
    torpid, stagnant, inert
    Antonyms:
    quick

  4. Computers. of or relating to an operator or quantifier in a search query that will return the smallest match result possible.

  5. (of a livestock brand) placed on its side instead of upright.

verb (used without object)

lazied, lazying

  1. to pass time in idleness or inactivity; laze.

    They spent the afternoon lazying about on the beach.
lazy British  
/ ˈleɪzɪ /

adjective

  1. not inclined to work or exertion

  2. conducive to or causing indolence

  3. moving in a languid or sluggish manner

    a lazy river

  4. (of a brand letter or mark on livestock) shown as lying on its side

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See idle.

Other Word Forms

  • lazily adverb
  • laziness noun
  • lazyish adjective

Etymology

Origin of lazy

First recorded in 1540–50; compare Low German lasich “languid, idle”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

You might call it lazy if Coppola didn’t operate with so much assurance.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

"But Jadon just wasn't seeing it. He said, 'I ain't apologising because if I do, I'm apologising for being lazy, always being late, not giving my best'."

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026

“They were a bit more lazy, knowing they were at the show but not competing.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

But it’s easier than ever for a student to get lazy.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2026

A lazy smile floated over his narrow face.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.