Sloth: A Dictionary for the Lazy (2 page)
Read Sloth: A Dictionary for the Lazy Online
Authors: Adams Media Corporation
Tags: #Dictionaries, #Reference
effete
(ih-FEET)
ADJECTIVE:
Devoid of energy or vivacity; no longer able to produce.
(ih-MOH-shuhn-lis)
ADJECTIVE:
Lacking any emotion or passion, particularly in a situation where it would be expected or called for.
(EN-er-vayt)
VERB:
To weaken one’s physical, psychological, or moral strength or vibrance; debilitate.
To spend so much time resting would ENERVATE anyone, making it nearly impossible to resume a normal life.
(ahn-WEE)
NOUN:
From the French word for apathy or boredom,
ennui
is a feeling of boredom and discontent with life.
(ER-goh-foh-bee-uh)
NOUN:
Fear of work.
Sloth is of all the passions
the most powerful…
—S
AMUEL
B
ECKETT
(es-CHOO)
VERB:
To abstain from or avoid.
(ih-VAYD)
VERB:
To use one’s ingenuity to avoid or escape something; elude.
He had a knack for being able to EVADE any kind of responsibility or obligation, leaving all of his spare time for himself.
(eg-ZAN-uh-mit)
ADJECTIVE:
Without life or expression; lifeless.
(ig-ZAWST)
VERB:
To deplete all of something; the word could refer to one’s energy level or a resource such as food.
failing
(FAY-ling)
NOUN:
A failure or shortcoming.
(FAY-nee-uhnt)
NOUN:
A French term for a lazy person or slacker. Can also be used as an adjective to describe such a person.
(fuh-TEEG)
NOUN:
Extreme exhaustion, usually as a result of overexertion. As a verb it means to cause extreme exhaustion.
(FEE-buhl)
ADJECTIVE:
Physically or mentally weak.
(FEK-lis)
ADJECTIVE:
Lacking any sense of responsibility or ambition.
Your son is so FECKLESS that he will probably never seek a job or move out of your home.
(FID-l)
VERB:
To waste time; to move one’s hands or fingers in a nervous manner; as a noun it’s a stringed musical instrument in the same family as the violin or to play that instrument.
(fikst)
ADJECTIVE:
Stationary; as a verb it means to put something into order or to prearrange the outcome of something that should be random (as in fixing a horse race).
(flop)
VERB:
To plop down on something in a careless, tired fashion; informally, it can mean to stay at someone’s house—to crash; to fail; to change one’s mind rather unexpectedly.
Once she arrived home, she would FLOP onto the couch and wait for dinner to be brought to her.
Idleness and lack of occupation tend—nay are dragged—towards evil.
—H
IPPOCRATES
(foot-DRAG-er)
NOUN:
Literally, one who drags his or her feet in order to do anything; idler.
(FOOT-l)
VERB:
To behave foolishly; to waste time, usually used with “about” or “around.”
(FREE-lohd-er)
NOUN:
One who relies on others for his or her basic needs, including food and shelter, without the intention of paying them back.
(FROU-zee)
ADJECTIVE:
Shabby or unkempt
The FROWZY girl hadn’t combed her hair in days; her dress was shabby and her shoes were untied.
(FROOT-lis)
ADJECTIVE:
Unproductive; an activity or thing that produces no results.
(FYOOT-tyl)
ADJECTIVE:
Pointless; ineffective.
(fuhts)
VERB:
To waste in an aimless or lazy manner.
It was not unlike him to FUTZ about the house with meaningless projects when there was work to be done.
gadabout
(GAD-uh-bout)
NOUN:
One who wanders around without purpose, often in the pursuit of something pleasurable.
Philip was such a GADABOUT; roaming town to town looking for the best pub and most beautiful women in each new place.
(GAYN-lis)
ADJECTIVE:
Without profit or results.
(gayp)
VERB:
To widely open one’s mouth due to sleepiness; yawn.
(gohsh)
ADJECTIVE:
Lacking the wherewithal to behave properly in social situations.
(JES-tayt)
VERB:
To generate and develop slowly.
Failure is not the only punishment for laziness; there is also
the success of others.
—J
ULES
R
ENARD
(giv uhp)
VERB:
To stop putting forth an effort; to admit defeat.
(GLAY-shuhl)
ADJECTIVE:
Characterized by the pace of a glacier’s movement; slow.
(glayz OH-ver)
VERB:
To become glassy or lacking expression, usually out of boredom.
(glob)
NOUN:
A lump of a moldable substance.
(GLOO-tee-uhs)
NOUN:
Any of the muscles of the buttocks.
(gohl-lis)
ADJECTIVE:
Without goals; aimless.
(GOHLD-brik)
NOUN:
A shirker; a worthless thing that appears valuable.
(GOOD-fer-nuhth-ing)
NOUN:
Self-explanatorily, a person who does not bring value to any situation. Can also be used as an adjective to describe a worthless person.
(GOOF-awf)
NOUN:
Can be used as a noun or adjective in reference to a person who does not channel his or her energy toward any worthwhile endeavor; a slacker.
(GROG-ee)
ADJECTIVE:
Dazed; sleepy, sometimes as the result of exposure to a physical or mental stimulus like alcohol.
The brandy she drank left her GROGGY; she was so compromised that she felt unable to communicate or try to get home.
halfhearted
(haf-HAHR-tid)
ADJECTIVE:
Without enthusiasm.
(hang)
VERB:
Slang for spending time in a casual, relaxed manner; as in “hang out.”
(HEV-ee-ayed)
ADJECTIVE:
Drowsy, tired; barely able to keep one’s eyes open due to exhaustion.
(HEB-ih-tood)
NOUN:
A state of laziness or indolence.
Caught up in the HEBETUDE following the afternoon meal, it was clear no one would move or clean the dishes for several hours.
(HEED-lis)
ADJECTIVE:
Uncaring or thoughtless; without regard.
(HY-ber-nay-shuhn)
NOUN:
Though often used in reference to animals, it’s a period of time in which a person or animal becomes dormant.
(HY-ber-nay-ter)
NOUN:
One who hibernates.
Indolence is a delightful but distressing state; we must be doing something to be happy.
—M
AHATMA
G
ANDHI
idleness
(AYED-l-nis)
NOUN:
Unproductiveness; a state of inactivity.
(im-oh-BIL-ih-tee)
NOUN:
Not moving; remaining still.
She appeared stricken with IMMOBILITY, though it was evident she was able to move freely as she wished.
(im-PAS-iv)
ADJECTIVE:
Emotionless; apathetic; calm.
(im-PUR-vee-uhs)
ADJECTIVE:
Not able to penetrate; unaffected; resistant.
(IM-puh-tuhnt)
ADJECTIVE:
Lacking strength or ability; the word often used in reference to a man’s sexual debility.
(im-PROV-i-duhnt)
ADJECTIVE:
Someone who is not sensible, particularly in regard to financial planning for the future.
(im-PROOD-nt)
ADJECTIVE:
Without care of forethought; reckless.
It would be considered IMPRUDENT of you to drive after consuming so much alcohol.
(in-AK-shuhn)
NOUN:
Choosing to do nothing when some sort of action is required.
(in-AK-tiv-ah-tee)
NOUN:
A state where something is not active; idleness
(in-uhd-VUR-tns)
NOUN:
Heedlessness or lack of attention; an oversight.
(ih-NAYN)
ADJECTIVE:
Senseless or meaningless; absurd.
(in-uh-NISH-uhn)
NOUN:
Lack of energy, sometimes in reference to a state of exhaustion as a result of illness or lack of sustenance; lethargy.
(in-uh-TEN-tiv)
ADJECTIVE:
Lacking attentiveness; careless.
(in-kon-si-KWEN-shuhl)
ADJECTIVE:
Without consequence or importance; insignificant.
It was so INCONSEQUENTIAL to him what he ate for dinner that eventually he just stopped ordering altogether.
(in-KYOOR-ee-uhs)
ADJECTIVE:
Lack of curiosity; disinterested.
(in-DIF-er-uhnt)
ADJECTIVE:
Lacking in care of concern; apathetic; uncaring.
(in-dis-puh-ZZISH-uhn)
NOUN:
Disinclination or reluctance.
(IN-dl-uhnt)
ADJECTIVE:
Lazy or lethargic; conducive to sluggishness.
(in-ih-FEK-tiv)
ADJECTIVE:
Without results; incompetent.
(in-NEPT)
ADJECTIVE:
Incompetent; lacking ability or skill.
She was completely INEPT at teaching, so she just allowed the students to roam around and find their own lessons.
(ih-NURT)
ADJECTIVE:
Lacking the ability to move at all or moving very slowly; motionless.
(in-ik-SPRES-iv)
ADJECTIVE:
Unable to express oneself; impassive.
(IN-grayt)
NOUN:
Someone who is ungrateful or inconsiderate.
(ih-NOK-yoo-uhs)
ADJECTIVE:
Inoffensive; harmless.
Will was so bland and unwilling to get involved in conflict of any sort that everything he said was INNOCUOUS.
(in-OP-er-uh-tiv)
ADJECTIVE:
No longer operating as it should.
(in-SEN-sayt)
ADJECTIVE:
Lacking the ability to feel sympathy or compassion; numb.
(in-SEN-suh-buhl)
ADJECTIVE:
Unconscionable; devoid of feeling or sensation.
Far from idleness being the root of all evil, it is rather the only true good.
—S
øREN
K
IERKEGAARD
(in-SIP-id)
ADJECTIVE:
Uninteresting; dull; the word comes from Latin of “without taste.”
(in-SOO-see-uhns)
NOUN:
Indifferent; being without a care in the world.
Her INSOUCIANCE began to wear on him as he realized she would never care as much about anything as he did.
(ir-ih-LIJ-uhs)
ADJECTIVE:
Ungodly; one who does not subscribe to any religious faith or practices.
(ih-REZ-uh-loot)
ADJECTIVE:
Not firm or confident in making commitments or decisions; indecisive.
A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury.
—John Stuart Mill