Sloth: A Dictionary for the Lazy (5 page)
Read Sloth: A Dictionary for the Lazy Online
Authors: Adams Media Corporation
Tags: #Dictionaries, #Reference
tardiness
(TAHR-dee-nis)
NOUN:
Lateness; slowness.
(TAR-ee)
VERB:
To delay; to linger, especially if in anticipation of something.
Don’t TARRY as you normally do after dinner because we have so much work to do tonight.
(TEE-dee-uhm)
NOUN:
That which is dull or monotonous.
(TEN-tuh-tiv)
ADJECTIVE:
Showing caution or hesitation; allowing for the possibility of changes later on.
(TEP-id)
ADJECTIVE:
Lukewarm; halfhearted.
(tym-WAY-sting)
ADJECTIVE:
Literally, something that wastes time.
It’s extraordinary how we go through life with eyes half shut, with dull ears, with dormant thoughts. Perhaps it’s just as well; and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.
—J
OSEPH
C
ONRAD
(TOD-l)
NOUN:
A slow, leisurely walk; stroll.
(TAWR-pid)
ADJECTIVE:
Stagnant; lazy; can refer to something that is hibernation or a part of the body that has gone numb.
(TAWR-per)
NOUN:
A state of mental and/or physical inactivity.
(TRAK-tuh-buhl)
ADJECTIVE:
Easily controlled or manipulated; easy to deal with.
He found that, unlike adults, children were TRACTABLE and easily trained to steal for him.
(trayl)
VERB:
To walk behind a person or thing; to fall behind or walk in a slow manner as a result of boredom.
(trayps)
VERB:
To walk or wander without any specific destination in mind.
(trans)
NOUN:
A semiconscious or hypnotic state in which some voluntary abilities may be debilitated.
(TRY-fling)
ADJECTIVE:
Of little importance; trivial.
(TRIV-ee-uhl)
ADJECTIVE:
Unimportant; worthless.
Irene found most conversations TRIVIAL and would not bother to participate in them.
(TROG-luh-dyt)
NOUN:
Formally, a
troglodyte
refers to an actual cave-dweller during Prehistoric times; informally, it is used to refer to an uncouth, unmannered person or hermit.
Jean-Luc the TROGLODYTE once had excellent manners and social skills, but years of living alone stripped those away.
(TROO-uhnt)
ADJECTIVE:
Avoiding one’s responsibilities without a valid reason; as a noun, it is used in reference to one who shirks his or her duties.
(TWID-l)
VERB:
To fiddle with something; the word is often used in relation to one’s fingers.
unaffected
(uhn-uh-FEK-tid)
ADJECTIVE:
Not affected by something in any way; unchanged.
(uhn-am-BISH-uhs)
ADJECTIVE:
Lack of ambition; unmotivated.
(uhn-uh-VAY-ling)
ADJECTIVE:
Not achieving a desired outcome; futile.
(uhn-BIZ-eed)
ADJECTIVE:
Not busy; idle.
Because she avoided so many commitments and responsibilities, after a while her days were completely UNBUSIED and empty.
(uhn-SUR-kuhm-spekt)
ADJECTIVE:
Acting without considering the consequences; careless.
(uhn-kuhn-SERN)
NOUN:
A lack of concern or regard; indifference.
(uhn-KYOOR-ee-uhs)
ADJECTIVE:
A lack of curiosity; apathetic.
(uhn-duh-MON-struh-tiv)
ADJECTIVE:
Not able to show expression; impassive.
(uhn-di-ZYUHR-uh-buhl)
ADJECTIVE:
Unwelcome or unwanted; can also be used as a noun in reference to a person that would be viewed in that way.
(uhn-di-REK-tid)
ADJECTIVE:
Not directed to a specific place or purpose; aimless.
Our walk was UNDIRECTED as we wandered the city after all the shops were closed.
(uhn-di-SPOHZD)
ADJECTIVE:
Not prone to do something; unwilling.
Although there were parts of being a father that he enjoyed and eagerly participated in, he was entirely UNDISPOSED to changing diapers.
(uhn-ih-MOH-shuh-nl)
ADJECTIVE:
Without emotion; impassion.
(uhn-en-er-JET-ik)
ADJECTIVE:
Lacking in energy; lazy.
(uhn-ik-SY-tuh-buhl)
ADJECTIVE:
Impervious to excitement or enthusiasm; imperturbable.
(uhn-ig-ZURT-ted)
ADJECTIVE:
Without exertion; lacking energy.
The men who create power make an indispensable contribution to the Nation’s greatness, but the men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable, especially when that questioning is disinterested, for they determine whether we use power or power uses us.
—J
OHN
F. K
ENNEDY
(uhn-felt)
ADJECTIVE:
Not felt or aware of.
(uhn-FROOT-fuhl)
ADJECTIVE:
Without success or the desired result; futile.
Our efforts to prepare a meal were UNFRUITFUL; maybe if we worked harder or knew how to cook we would be eating right now.
(in-DUHS-tree-uhs)
ADJECTIVE:
Lacking in ambition and energy; unproductive.
(uhn-in-SPYUHRD)
ADJECTIVE:
Lacking encouragement or inspiration; bland.
(uhn-IN-ter-uh-stid)
ADJECTIVE:
Showing a total lack of interest; indifferent or apathetic.
(uhn-LAKS)
VERB:
A slang term meaning to relax.
(uhn-MYND-fuhl)
NOUN:
Unawareness; heedlessness.
(uhn-moovd)
ADJECTIVE:
Not swayed or affected by something; indifferent.
(uhn-uhb-ZUR-vuhnt)
ADJECTIVE:
Not alert or attentive.
The UNOBSERVANT mother did not notice when her children slipped outside and ran down the street, returning with candy.
(uhn-OK-yuh-pyd)
ADJECTIVE:
Empty or vacant; not currently in use.
(uhn-pruh-DUHK-tiv)
ADJECTIVE:
Producing no significant results; barren.
(uhn-ri-SPON-siv)
ADJECTIVE:
Not responding or reacting.
(uhn-SOH-shuh-buhl)
ADJECTIVE:
Unfriendly or antisocial; disliking the company of others.
The count was UNSOCIABLE; although he didn’t mind contributing to charity, he had no desire to attend the fundraising functions or make public appearances.
(uhn-suhb-STAN-shuhl)
ADJECTIVE:
Without substance or strength; worthless.
(uhn-suhk-SES-fuhl)
ADJECTIVE:
Not successful; failed.
(uhn-THING-king)
ADJECTIVE:
Not thinking; careless or thoughtless.
(uhn-WYND)
VERB:
To relax, particularly after a particularly busy or stressful time.
(YOOS-lis)
ADJECTIVE:
Of no worthwhile use; ineffective.
vacillate
(VAS-uh-layt)
VERB:
To go back and forth between two sides without making a firm decision.
(VAK-yoo-uhs)
ADJECTIVE:
Empty; unintelligent or dim.
(VAL-yoo-lis)
ADJECTIVE:
Of no value; worthless.
(VAP-id)
ADJECTIVE:
Lacking any depth; insipid or dull.
She was VAPID and devoid of any real conversation or profound understanding.
(VEJ-i-tayt)
VERB:
To be inactive or sluggish; stagnate.
(voyd)
ADJECTIVE:
To be ineffective or lacking; as a noun it refers to an empty space or loss of something; as a verb it means to cancel or negate.
Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor
of the mind.
—L
EONARDO
D
A
V
INCI
wane
(wayn)
VERB:
To decrease in power or intensity; to come to an end.
He was so used to relaxing rather than working that just a few minutes after picking up a shovel his power would begin to WANE.
(way-ster)
NOUN:
A person or thing who wastes something.
(WAY-struhl)
NOUN:
An insulting term coined for those who are wasteful or lazy.
(WAY-werd)
ADJECTIVE:
Disobedient or errant; capricious or unpredictable.
(WEER-ee-nis)
NOUN:
Tiredness; exhaustion.
Progress isn’t made by early risers. It’s made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.
—R
OBERT
H
EINLEN
(VELT-shmerts)
NOUN:
In German,
weltschmerz
translates to “world pain” and relates to a certain world-weariness or apathy caused by the current state of affairs in the world.
(hwyl uh-WAY)
VERB:
To pass time in a leisurely manner.
(WITH-er)
VERB:
To deteriorate and become weak; shrivel.
Years of avoiding work caused her body to WITHER and become frail.
(WOO-zee)
ADJECTIVE:
Dizzy or faint; confused.
(work-shy)
ADJECTIVE:
Avoiding work or exertion; lazy.
(wurld-WEER-ee-nis)
NOUN:
Fatigue or boredom with the world and particularly its material things.
(WURTH-lis)
ADJECTIVE:
Insignificant or of no value; useless.
Though he volunteered for the cause, he was WORTHLESS when it came to actually helping with the physical labor.
yawn
(yawn)
VERB:
Involuntarily open one’s mouth wide and inhale deeply due to tiredness.
She remained so lazy and tired throughout every day that it was rare for her to go more than a few minutes without a YAWN.
(YUHP-ee floo)
NOUN:
An informal term describing any fatigue-causing disorder, like chronic fatigue syndrome, associated with stress.
(ZOHN out)
VERB:
To stop paying attention.
(zongk)
VERB:
To fall into a deep sleep; to pass out due to intoxication.
Out of passions grow opinions; mental sloth lets these rigidify into convictions.
—F
RIEDRICH
N
IETZSCHE