lazy

A2 Topic:Describing People

US /ˈleɪzi/ See IPA manual

Freq #3975

Meanings

1

adj
Not willing to work or make an effort.

Get out of bed, you lazy thing!
2

adj
Relaxed, slow, and without much activity.

I love staying inside and reading on a lazy Sunday.
3

adj
Moving slowly and gently.

We strolled along beside a lazy stream.
4

adj
Showing a lack of care or effort.

The teacher criticised his lazy writing.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · not willing to work or make... idle indolent slothful

More inert lackadaisicallitherotiose sluggish swear torpid

Opposites

active diligent industrious

Word family

Forms laziedlazierlaziestlazying

Derived forms laze lazily lazinesslazy-arselazy-asslazy-bedlazybacklazyboneslazybootslazyboylazybuttlazyish

Related forms doer idler laziness shirk slow

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

naturally lazy
inclined by temperament to avoid effort or work

Adverb + adjective

Proverbs (1)

See all

There are lazy minds as well as lazy bodies

Etymology

Attested since 1540, origin uncertain. Probably from Low German and Middle Low German lasich (“slack, feeble, lazy”), from las, from Old Saxon lask, from Proto-Germanic *lasiwaz, *laskaz (“feeble, weak”), from Proto-Indo-European *las- (“weak”). Akin to Dutch leuzig (“lazy”), Old Norse lasinn (“limpy, tired, weak”), Old English lesu, lysu (“false, evil, base”). More at lush. An alternative etymology traces lazy to Early Modern English laysy, a derivative of lay (plural lays + -y) in the same way that tipsy is derived from tip. See lay.

lasich gml lask osx *lasiwaz Proto-Germanic *las- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing People

External links

# lazy

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈleɪzi/
**Frequency rank:** 3975

## Meanings
1. Not willing to work or make an effort.
2. Relaxed, slow, and without much activity.
3. Moving slowly and gently.
4. Showing a lack of care or effort.

## Examples
- Get out of bed, you lazy thing!
- I love staying inside and reading on a lazy Sunday.
- We strolled along beside a lazy stream.
- The teacher criticised his lazy writing.

## Synonyms
- inert
- lackadaisical
- lither
- otiose
- sluggish
- swear
- torpid

## Antonyms
- active
- diligent
- industrious

## Derived Forms
- laze
- lazily
- laziness
- lazy-arse
- lazy-ass
- lazy-bed
- lazyback
- lazybones
- lazyboots
- lazyboy
- lazybutt
- lazyish

## Related Forms
- doer
- idler
- laziness
- shirk
- slow

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: lasich
- Root: lask
- Root: *lasiwaz
- Root: *las-

## Etymology
Attested since 1540, origin uncertain. Probably from Low German and Middle Low German lasich (“slack, feeble, lazy”), from las, from Old Saxon lask, from Proto-Germanic *lasiwaz, *laskaz (“feeble, weak”), from Proto-Indo-European *las- (“weak”). Akin to Dutch leuzig (“lazy”), Old Norse lasinn (“limpy, tired, weak”), Old English lesu, lysu (“false, evil, base”). More at lush. An alternative etymology traces lazy to Early Modern English laysy, a derivative of lay (plural lays + -y) in the same way that tipsy is derived from tip. See lay.

## AI Etymology
Lazy is attested since 1540, origin uncertain. Probably from Low German and Middle Low German lasich (“slack, feeble, lazy”), from las, from Old Saxon lask, from Proto-Germanic *lasiwaz, *laskaz (“feeble, weak”), from Proto-Indo-European *las- (“weak”). Akin to Dutch leuzig (“lazy”), Old Norse lasinn (“limpy, tired, weak”), Old English lesu, lysu (“false, evil, base”). More at lush. An alternative etymology traces lazy to Early Modern English laysy, a derivative of lay (plural lays + -y) in the same way that tipsy is derived from tip. See lay. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix.

## Topics
- Describing People

markdown