Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Lacking spirit, liveliness, or interest; languid: "There'll be no time to correct lackadaisical driving techniques after trouble develops” ( William J. Hampton).
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Sentimentally woebegone; languid; listless; affected. See extract under lackthought.
Wiktionary
- adj. Showing no interest or enthusiasm.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Affectedly pensive; languidly sentimental; dreamy.
- adj. Lacking spirit or liveliness; lethargic; listless; languid.
- adj. Indolent; lazy; idle, especially in a dreamy manner.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. lacking spirit or liveliness
- adj. idle or indolent especially in a dreamy way
Etymologies
- From the archaic interjection lackaday, lackadaisy. (Wiktionary)
- From lackadaisy, alteration of lackaday. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Critics ravaged him for what they called his lackadaisical approach to such party-building activities as filling precinct committee openings, mounting a technology-driven Election Day get-out-the-vote operation and absentee ballot and voter registration initiatives.”
“Brian Campbell probably developed a few bad habits during what he described as a lackadaisical week of practice.”
“He noted that due to what he termed the lackadaisical attitude of the Minister toward the suggestion of the council, the private aircraft industry has moved to establish its own search and rescue unit.”
“I think we came in lackadaisical in the first half," Kansas”
NCAA Division I College Football - Kansas State vs. Arizona State
“Mr Kirkhope added: The security in the European Parliament has long been well-known as lackadaisical, but this is really ceasing to be a joke.”
“At the same time, the necessary publicity of the new rules has been lackadaisical, which is typical of Indonesia ....”
“Carragher later complained that the defending had been "lackadaisical", but claimed "we have kissed and made up in the dressing room".”
The Guardian: Didn't he used to be rubbish? Alvaro Arbeloa of Spain
“Carville, the famously outspoken Louisianian who was a chief political aide to Bill and Hillary Clinton, told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Thursday that the administration's response to the spill has been "lackadaisical" and that Obama was "naive" to trust BP to manage the massive clean-up effort.”
“In recent days, a host of voices (Republican and Democratic alike) began speaking out more forcefully with concern that the administration had taken a seemingly "lackadaisical" approach towards containing and cleaning up the Gulf spill.”
The Huffington Post: Robert Gibbs Defends White House On Oil Spill Response
“Within a year they were out because of their "lackadaisical" attitude.”
The Huffington Post: Ewan McIntosh: Schools Are Churning Out the Unemployable
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘lackadaisical’.
-
GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
-
Iaan
dirigisme, dystopia, cacotopia, ex ante, veritable, indefatigable, curmudgeon, desultory, antediluvian, transmogrify, pendent, elongate and 269 more...
-
SAT Words
But only the ones that I don't already know.
abase, abash, abominate, abstruse, acclivity, accolade, accost, adroit, adulate, adulterate, adumbrate, affray and 241 more...
-
#faveword
Words chosen as favorites for the Twitter hashtag #faveword.
autumnal, grotto, chiaroscuro, sfumato, homunculus, zing, zest, effervescent, bewitch, avuncular, susurrus, Styrofoam and 205 more...
-
See extract
Being a list of words which have the phrase "see extract" in their definitions. You might also find a few which have "see extract under" or "see the extract."
glove-sheep, clang, bookmaker, lackadaisical, apprehend, interfluvial, fortunate, intersect, cannelon, adoration, canter, headrace and 10 more...
-
2011 Spelling Bee Bingo
List now closed! Thanks for your "bets"!
Think you can guess the word that will win the 2011 Scripps National Spelling Bee? We've started this open list for your guesses and if you gue...verisimilitude, schwag, zeitgeist, diarrhoea, phlox, peripatetic, psellism, tarradiddle, yemeles, corroboree, Erinacious, polatouche and 19 more...
-
big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
-
phil vocab 3
genocide, superfluous, warfare, indissoluble, sentient, confound, pernicious, dispose, render, amiable, paradox, puritanical and 36 more...
-
♥
ambrosia, inamorata, gossamer, lily-white, hummingbird, roucoulement, poppy, daisy, calypso, lunula, lamb, dove and 1526 more...
-
SAT Words
But only the ones that I don't already know.
abase, abash, abominate, abstruse, acclivity, accolade, accost, adroit, adulate, adulterate, adumbrate, affray and 241 more...
-
five syllables
ontogenesis, phylogenesis, concatenation, androgenesis, extra textual, inexorably, spagyrically, apophenia, iatrochemist, monocotyloid, morphological, parthenogenic and 941 more...
-
Twitter favourites
The new favourite words of people on Twitter.
A script searches Twitter for "X is my new favourite word" and adds it to this list.
See also:
bumwank, calamity, recalcitrant, gayenese, jeeze, nonsense, flabbergasted, juxtapose, procrastinating, ossanity, biffing, loser and 1972 more... -
Twitter favorites
The new favourite words of people on Twitter.
A script searches Twitter for "X is my new favorite word" and adds it to this list.
See also:
unfathomably, glice, cuh, fab, ciggaty, doll, thuggin, oxymoronic, pineapple, succubutt, griming, cheeky and 2369 more... -
my GRE words
pedant, wizened, histrionic, logorrhea, frenetic, approbation, quibble, knell, acclivity, droog, prevarication, aplomb and 182 more...
-
collection
sanguine, vie, antebellum, glacial, treacly, iconoclast, lissom, anathema, serendipity, parsimonious, histrionic, contemptuous and 279 more...
-
Vocab
Words that I come across, and go blank, or want to clarify.
nefarious, edifice, malevolent, ostensible, folderol, bauble, livid, amnesty, calculus, saddlery, maisonette, cuisse and 423 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for lackadaisical.
dlarson It's really too bad that people show a lackadaisical approach to spelling when they say 'lacksadaisical.' Know that I mean? Dec 7, 2009
sionnach "I have no recollection of the last twenty-four hours," said Tom lackadaisically.
"Miss Buchanan sends her regrets that she will not be able to join us for dinner', said Nick lackadaisically. Oct 30, 2007
librarymistress what a great word - thanks for sharing. Thinking hard to find an opportunity to use it... Oct 29, 2007
oroboros just learned that this word is from the interjection 'lack-a-daisy' and 'spozed to mean 'vapidly sentimental'; interesting... Dec 15, 2006