slack

C1 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /slæk/ See IPA manual

Freq #7926

Meanings

1

noun
The loose part of a rope or line that is not pulled tight.

Pull in the slack so the rope doesn't drag on the ground.
2

adj
Not busy; with little activity or demand.

Business is usually slack in the winter months.
3

adj
Careless or lazy; not putting in enough effort.

The manager warned him about his slack attitude at work.
4

verb
To be lazy or neglect your work.

You can't afford to slack off the week before exams.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Multiword verbs with slack

slack off Phrasal verb C1

to decrease in strength, amount, or activity

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the loose part of a rope or... slackness

Word family

Forms slackedslackerslackestslackingslacks

Derived forms forslackmultislacknonslackoverslackslack-handedslack-jawedslack-keyslack-ropeslack-waterslackadaisicalslackenslackery

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

slack water
water with little or no current, especially around a change of tide

Adjective + noun
slack off
to decrease in strength, amount, or activity

Verb + adverb

Simplified etymology

Slack is an Old English word that originally meant “lazy” or “unhurried.” It shares a Germanic root with slake and is more distantly related to Latin laxus, “loose.”

Etymology

* As an English and Dutch surname, from the adjective slack. * Also as an English surname, from the noun slack (“shallow valley”). * Possibly also a Slovene surname Americanized from slak (“bindweed”), from Proto-Slavic *sъvolkъ. * The name of the software is an acronym of Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge.

*sъvolkъ Proto-Slavic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# slack

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, adj, verb
**IPA (US):** /slæk/
**Frequency rank:** 7926

## Meanings
1. The loose part of a rope or line that is not pulled tight.
2. Not busy; with little activity or demand.
3. Careless or lazy; not putting in enough effort.
4. To be lazy or neglect your work.

## Examples
- Pull in the slack so the rope doesn't drag on the ground.
- Business is usually slack in the winter months.
- The manager warned him about his slack attitude at work.
- You can't afford to slack off the week before exams.

## Derived Forms
- forslack
- multislack
- nonslack
- overslack
- slack-handed
- slack-jawed
- slack-key
- slack-rope
- slack-water
- slackadaisical
- slacken
- slackery

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *sъvolkъ

## Etymology
* As an English and Dutch surname, from the adjective slack. * Also as an English surname, from the noun slack (“shallow valley”). * Possibly also a Slovene surname Americanized from slak (“bindweed”), from Proto-Slavic *sъvolkъ. * The name of the software is an acronym of Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge.

## AI Etymology
Slack has the etymology As an English and Dutch surname, from the adjective slack.; Also as an English surname, from the noun slack (“shallow valley”).; Possibly also a Slovene surname Americanized from slak (“bindweed”), from Proto-Slavic *sъvolkъ.; The name of the software is an acronym of Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge. In present-day use, it can mean the loose part of a rope or line that is not pulled tight, or not busy; with little activity or demand. Derived formations include forslack, multislack, nonslack, overslack, slack-handed.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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