I. ˈlāzē, -zi adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: perhaps from Middle Low German lasich feeble, faint; akin to Middle High German er leswen to become weak, Old Norse lasinn dilapidated, Gothic lasiws weak, Bulgarian loš bad
1.
a. : disliking physical or mental exertion : not energetic or vigorous : indolent , inactive
having to deal with a lazy slut, might feel strongly tempted to take up the nearest broomstick — G.B.Shaw
gifted but lazy artist
b. : encouraging or causing inactivity or indolence
lazy summer day
lazy weather
lazy chair
c. : marked by lack of activity
spent a lazy weekend at home
lazy expedient
2. : moving slowly and without or as if without energy : sluggish
lazy river
spoke with a lazy articulation
3. : not firmly erect : drooping , lax
lazy corn
a rabbit with lazy ears
habitually lazy posture
4. of a letter or number : placed on its side
lazy E livestock brand
lazy 2 on a bank note
— see brand illustration
Synonyms:
lazy , indolent , slothful , and faineant can all signify not easily aroused to responsible, purposeful activity. lazy stresses an aversion to work and a habitual tendency to idleness
we were too lazy … We passed our indolent days leaving everything to somebody else — H.G.Wells
the lion is by nature so essentially lazy that he will never do more hunting than he feels to be necessary — James Stevenson-Hamilton
even when the heat is not extreme, a sudden rise may make us uncomfortable and lazy, as often occurs in the spring — Ellsworth Huntington
indolent implies a constitutional love of ease and inactivity or dislike of purposeful activity
an indolent son sleeping away his life
he was an indolent man, who lived only to eat, drink, and play at cards — Jane Austen
life is more leisured without being essentially indolent — American Guide Series: Virginia
slothful suggests temperamental inactivity or slowness when action or speed is called for
he would use political means to jog a slothful conscience and marshal its forces — V.L.Parrington
waiting for the hostler's slothful boy to bring out the horses — American Guide Series: Virginia
faineant , now infrequent, implies a disposition to do nothing even under urgency
in a typical statement of the faineant judicial philosophy he sometimes espouses, [he] refused to put judgment on so slender a foundation — E.V.Rostov
to avoid all issues by electing a faineant mayor and city council
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
: to move or lie lazily : laze