as in to lazy
to pretend to be sick or injured in order to avoid doing work
Because of his frequent absences, his boss suspected he was malingering.
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Recent Examples of malinger
The entire day felt dehumanizing, as if her nearly eight years with the company, her medical problems and her physical pain had been reduced to nothing more than malingering and scattered incidents of tardiness.
—
Greg Jaffe, Anchorage Daily News, 18 June 2023
Goldstein, who did not return a message seeking comment, practices in Chicago and has lectured on the topic of malingering, according to a resume posted online.
—Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2023
But when workers take advantage of the manager’s kindly nature to malinger or disrupt operations, the entire business is threatened.
—Bill Conerly, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2022
The decision against Robert Krebs came after a psychologist determined Krebs didn’t have a mental illness or cognitive impairment and was instead malingering to avoid prosecution for the robbery last year in Tucson.
—Jacques Billeaud, BostonGlobe.com, 24 June 2019
On Monday, prosecutor Stuart Silberg said Ms. Ortega could have been malingering, or faking her psychiatric state.
—Corinne Ramey, WSJ, 31 July 2017
The question is obviously especially consequential when deeming a person malingering means they could be put to death.
—James Hamblin, The Atlantic, 5 May 2017
Greg Jaffe, Anchorage Daily News, 18 June 2023
Goldstein, who did not return a message seeking comment, practices in Chicago and has lectured on the topic of malingering, according to a resume posted online.
—Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2023
But when workers take advantage of the manager’s kindly nature to malinger or disrupt operations, the entire business is threatened.
—Bill Conerly, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2022
The decision against Robert Krebs came after a psychologist determined Krebs didn’t have a mental illness or cognitive impairment and was instead malingering to avoid prosecution for the robbery last year in Tucson.
—Jacques Billeaud, BostonGlobe.com, 24 June 2019
On Monday, prosecutor Stuart Silberg said Ms. Ortega could have been malingering, or faking her psychiatric state.
—Corinne Ramey, WSJ, 31 July 2017
The question is obviously especially consequential when deeming a person malingering means they could be put to death.
—James Hamblin, The Atlantic, 5 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malinger
Verb
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Yet even with the credits, demand for Ford's F-150 Lightning electric pickup has faltered, leading Ford to idle the truck's production through the year-end.—
Jarrett Renshaw,
Detroit Free Press,
15 Nov. 2024
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The vehicles also worsen traffic on Lima’s major thoroughfares, increasing idling by cars and trucks, which are rarely electric.—
Maria Gioia,
The Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Release date, cast, more Queen Latifah, Adrien Brody, Kerry Washington, more stars flock to Thom Browne's NYFW show 'Really bummed out:' Beverly Ortega explains sudden departure from 'The Bachelor' 'The Amazing Race' Season 37 cast Find details on the entire Season 37 cast here.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA TODAY,
20 Feb. 2025
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But today’s social media — with its rapid acceleration of AI and other concerns — bums her out.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN,
16 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Lohse even managed to fool historian Jonathan Petropoulos, who is at the center of the documentary, and spent years investigating Lohse, only to be tricked by him.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
20 Feb. 2025
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Was their advocacy for new energy sources just a ploy to fool their constituents and get reelected?—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
19 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Or perhaps blaming the whole Jets mess on Aaron Rodgers.—
Vic Tafur,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
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Pesky messes like glitter, sugar, sprinkles or other fine particles on countertops.—
Cody Godwin,
USA TODAY,
19 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malinger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malinger. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
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