lackadaisical

adjective

lack·​a·​dai·​si·​cal ˌla-kə-ˈdā-zi-kəl 

: lacking life, spirit, or zest : languid

teachers who are impatient with lackadaisical students

lackadaisically

ˌla-kə-ˈdā-zi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

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Where does lackadaisical come from?

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

• enervated
• languid
• languishing
• languorous
• limp
• listless
• spiritless

Choose the Right Synonym for lackadaisical

languid, languorous, lackadaisical, listless, spiritless mean lacking energy or enthusiasm.

languid refers to an unwillingness or inability to exert oneself due to fatigue or physical weakness.

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

There is no skipping steps, no forgiving young players for lackadaisical plays simply because of their lack of experience. —Mat Issa, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024

The sun had other ideas, and Ramos’ lackadaisical base running prevented him from taking third when the ball got past Fernando Tatis Jr. Consistently impressed with the daily effort from the 25-year-old first-time All-Star, Melvin was hesitant to even say anything. —Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2024

And the lack of a clear strategy led to a lackadaisical response to Russia’s cyberattacks and its unprecedented interference in the 2016 election. —Tim Kaine, Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2017

Bombadil is an intriguing character in the novels, with a curiously lackadaisical attitude toward the ring that enthralls nearly everyone else in Middle-earth. —Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 15 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

irregular from lackaday + -ical

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

lackadaisical

adjective

lack·​a·​dai·​si·​cal ˌlak-ə-ˈdā-zi-kəl 

: lacking spirit or enthusiasm : languid, listless

lackadaisically

-k(ə-)lē 

adverb