What does "lazy" mean?
A lazy person.
Lazy
/ˈleɪzi/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A lazy person.
- Grammar: lazy is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: indolent, slothful, airy, ambling.
- Useful contrasts: active, diligent, industrious.
- Usage evidence: I'm too lazy to do my homework.
How to use "lazy"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "lazy" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "lazy" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "lazy" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "lazy" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "lazy" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "indolent" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "lazy", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A lazy person.
"The “lazies” of the party seized the opportunity of remaining behind—wandering, as they said, though all the cross paths were marked."
- 2 Sloth (animal). obsolete
"To strenuous minds there is an inquietude in overquietness, and no laboriousness in labour; and to tread a mile after the slow pace of a snail, or the heavy measures of the lazy of Brazilia, were a most tiring pennance, and worse than a race of some furlongs at the Olympicks."
Verb
- 1 To laze, act in a lazy manner. informal
"“Go to sea,” muttered Mr. Unity Peach. “Work for your living—don’t lazy away your time here!”"
Adjective
- 1 Unwilling to do work or make an effort; disinclined to exertion.
"Get out of bed, you lazy lout!"
- 2 Causing or characterised by idleness; relaxed or leisurely.
"I love staying inside and reading on a lazy Sunday."
- 3 Showing a lack of effort or care.
"lazy writing"
- 4 Sluggish; slow-moving.
"We strolled along beside a lazy stream."
- 5 Lax:; Droopy.
"a lazy-eared rabbit"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 Lax:; Of an eye, squinting because of a weakness of the eye muscles.
- 7 Turned so that (the letter) is horizontal instead of vertical.
"There was probably more cattle bearing the Lazy S brand marketed than those of any other ranch in the world."
- 8 Employing lazy evaluation; not calculating results until they are immediately required.
"a lazy algorithm"
- 9 Wicked; vicious. UK, dialectal, obsolete
"The swilland dropsy enter in The lazy cuke , and swell his skin"
Adjective
- 1 disinclined to work or exertion wordnet
- 2 moving slowly and gently wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"I'm too lazy to do my homework."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "lazy"?
Common synonyms include: indolent, slothful, airy, ambling, backward, bone-lazy.
How do you use "lazy" in a sentence?
I'm too lazy to do my homework.
How do you pronounce "lazy"?
Pronounced /ˈleɪzi/.
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.