“Lazy” does the job — but the right alternative does more. Here are 6 curated replacements, each with a definition, pronunciation, and an example of it working on the page.
Habitually avoiding effort or exertion; disinclined to work.
“He spent indolent summers on the porch, watching clouds drift by with studied disinterest.”
Best for: Works well in formal writing or literary prose to describe a character's temperament.
Excessively slow and averse to all activity or effort.
“The slothful heir let the estate crumble around him rather than lift a finger to maintain it.”
Best for: Carries a moral weight; useful in contexts where laziness is being criticized or condemned.
Reluctant to work or make any effort; deliberately avoiding labor.
“His workshy reputation preceded him, and no foreman in town would hire him twice.”
Best for: Punchy British slang; great for informal or journalistic writing with a sharp edge.
Idle, producing no useful result, and serving no practical purpose.
“She regarded her otiose colleagues with barely concealed contempt as deadlines slipped by.”
Best for: Rare and impressive; suits academic or high literary registers where idleness is philosophically framed.
A completely idle, do-nothing person who avoids all responsibility.
“The fainéant prince spent his days in silk robes, leaving governance to ambitious advisors.”
Best for: Borrowed from French; ideal for historical fiction or ironic descriptions of privileged inaction.
Characterized by excessive delay, dawdling, and reluctance to act.
“His cunctatory approach to every task meant that nothing was ever finished before noon.”
Best for: Extremely rare and archaic; best deployed for deliberate comic effect or to impress in essays.
Wordsmith finds six curated alternatives for any word — free to try.
Try Wordsmith Free