Definition of LACKADAISICAL (original) (raw)

: lacking life, spirit, or zest : languid

teachers who are impatient with lackadaisical students

Did you know?

We’re too enthusiastic about the lexicon to be lackadaisical about words, but lackadaisical itself is rooted in the sort of sorrow that can put a damper on one’s passion for vocabulary expansion. When folks living from the late 17th to the late 19th century had one of those days when nothing goes right, they could cry "Lackaday!" to express their sorrow and disappointment as a shortened form of the expression "alack the day." (Alack is an interjection used to express sorrow or regret.) By the mid-1700s, the adjective lackadaisical had been formed to describe these miserable ones and their doings and sayings. Around the same time, the word lackadaisy was introduced to the language as an interjection similar to lackaday; it was never as prevalent as lackaday, but it may have influenced the development of lackadaisical.

Synonyms

Choose the Right Synonym for lackadaisical

was depressed and languid for weeks after surgery

languorous suggests a dreamy boredom and delicacy that avoids unnecessary activity.

languorous cats lying in the sun

lackadaisical implies a carefree indifference marked by half-hearted efforts.

lackadaisical college seniors pretending to study

listless suggests a lack of interest caused by physical weakness or dissatisfied boredom.

listless hospital patients

listless children flipping through picture books on a rainy day

spiritless refers to a lack of animation or vigor that gives one's actions and words life.

a spiritless recital of the poem

Examples of lackadaisical in a Sentence

His teachers did not approve of his lackadaisical approach to homework. feeling particularly lackadaisical in the summer heat, they lazily tossed a ball back and forth

Recent Examples on the Web

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Turmoil and lackadaisical effort created a negative narrative around the team. —Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 6 Jan. 2025 The first one was a bit painful, as McCabe failed to take away the passing lane on the initial breakout pass, and Rielly was too lackadaisical and failed to get his stick in the shooting lane. —Kevin Papetti, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025 And finally, Maxey reportedly called him out in a team meeting for his lack of conditioning and lackadaisical play. —Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 28 Nov. 2024 Performances such as Wednesday’s, where the Bucks are locked in from the start and focused on their goals for a full 48 minutes, are what has made the team’s lackadaisical outings against teams destined for the NBA Draft lottery so disappointing this season. —Eric Nehm, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for lackadaisical