Laggard

//ˈlæɡɚd// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    One who lags behind; one who takes more time than is necessary or than the others in a group.

    "1733, William Havard, Scanderbeg: A Tragedy, London: J. Watts, Act II, Scene 4, p. 17, Blushing I look upon my poor Resolves, A Laggard in the Race, and faintly striving To follow Excellence that soars so high."

  2. 2
    someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who lags behind wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    Lagging behind; taking more time than the others in a group.

    "But come let's wing our Steps with utmost Speed, The swiftest Haste is laggard to the Deed."

  2. 2
    Not growing as quickly as the rest of the flock or herd.

    "The laggard broilers are euthanized and incinerated."

Adjective
  1. 1
    wasting time wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
dilatorydawdlerlaggingslowapatheticbackward

Antonyms

All antonyms
doer

Example

More examples

"If you accept gay marriage ten years after it became the law of the land, you are not avant garde, you are a laggard."

Etymology

From lag + -ard.

More for "laggard"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.