To save this word, lazy pierogi with sour cream’ll need to log in. How is the word lazy distinct from other similar adjectives? The words indolent and slothful are common synonyms of lazy.

While all three words mean “not easily aroused to activity,” lazy suggests a disinclination to work or to take trouble. When is it sensible to use indolent instead of lazy? Although the words indolent and lazy have much in common, indolent suggests a love of ease and a dislike of movement or activity. When might slothful be a better fit than lazy? While in some cases nearly identical to lazy, slothful implies a temperamental inability to act promptly or speedily when action or speed is called for. Subscribe to America’s largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Get Word of the Day daily email! On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. For the computer science concept, see Lazy evaluation. Despite famed neurologist Sigmund Freud’s discussion of the “pleasure principle”, Leonard Carmichael noted in 1954 that “laziness is not a word that appears in the table of contents of most technical books on psychology”. Laziness may reflect a lack of self-esteem, a lack of positive recognition by others, a lack of discipline stemming from low self-confidence, or a lack of interest in the activity or belief in its efficacy.