procrastination

American  

[proh-kras-tuh-ney-shuhn, pruh‑] / proʊˌkræs təˈneɪ ʃən, prə‑ /

noun

1. the act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off or delaying, especially something requiring immediate attention.

   She was smart, but her constant procrastination led her to be late with almost every assignment.

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Etymology

Origin of procrastination

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin prōcrāstinātiōn-, stem of prōcrāstinātiō “a putting off until tomorrow,” equivalent to prōcrāstināt(us), past participle of prōcrāstināre “to put off until tomorrow” + -iō -ion ( def. ); see procrastinate ( def. )

Explanation

Procrastination is putting off or deferring an action (usually one we don't want to do) until a later time (usually the last minute). Activities that inspire procrastination include work, chores, studying, or anything else we don't feel like doing right now. Activities we choose in our procrastination include surfing the Internet, watching television, reorganizing our pencils, talking on the phone, or sleeping. Great synonyms for this word include dilly-dallying and shillyshally.

Example Sentences

Instead, we ignored the problem, and that procrastination was costly.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

Mr. Bailey offers practical techniques for overcoming the aversive elements of our goals, which are most likely to lead to procrastination.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026

Perhaps procrastination is the greatest present of all.

From Barron's • Dec. 15, 2025

For some, procrastination until the precipice of death inevitably led to a rather stressful process of deathbed absolution.

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2025

His procrastination would have disastrous effects, if you believe in that sort of thing, which, some days, when the old Greek blood is running high, I do.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• doubt
• equivocation
• hesitancy
• indecision
• misgiving
• mistrust
• pause
• qualm
• reluctance
• skepticism
• unwillingness
• vacillation