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

In the early 1960s, Ray, once shiftless and wayward, finds purpose in the Army as the Vietnam War looms large, while Barbara flees their Livingston, Mont., hometown, and no one seems to know where she is.

From New York Times

In the early 1960s, Ray, once shiftless and wayward, finds purpose in the Army as the Vietnam War looms large, while Barbara flees their Livingston, Mont., hometown, and no one seems to know where she is.

From New York Times

I knew it was chosen and served with care, and at a moment where I was feeling sleepy and shiftless, it called me.

From Slate