dawdler

1 7.1

A person who moves slowly and wastes time

noun
/ˈdɔːdlər/

: tardón

My daughter is supposed to leave the house at the same time, but she is a dawdler.

Examples

He is known as a dawdler because he spends too much time on small tasks instead of finishing his work.
But Kathleen was no dawdler.

Fiction book (2002)
Joe held up a stick of dynamite as our little insurance policy, just in case one of the little dawdlers starts talking.

Fiction book (1993)
Lincoln, the inveterate dawdler.

Lincoln (2012)
My daughter is always a dawdler when getting ready for school, often making us late.
To avoid being labeled a dawdler, I set a timer to keep myself on track while studying.

Synonyms

drone

vsdawdler

Offensive

43 7.6

A person who works slowly and avoids effort

is slow and specifically lingers when promptness is expected

procrastinator

vsdawdler

8 4.6

A person who often puts off work until the last minute

moves slowly and lingers in the moment rather than mainly postponing

slowpoke

vsdawdler

Offensive

5 6.8

A person who does things more slowly than other people

also wastes time and lingers when promptness is expected

laggard

vsdawdler

4 8.1

A person or thing that is slower than others and falls behind

is slow by lingering in place rather than gradual progress

idler

vsdawdler

Offensive

2 7.0

A person who avoids work and does very little

is slow in action rather than entirely avoiding activity

lagger

vsdawdler

1 8.1

A person who falls behind others because they are slower

is slow in action and often lingers rather than merely trailing

poke

vsdawdler

Informal

1 8.6

A person who moves slowly and falls behind others

lingers particularly when prompt action is required

staller

vsdawdler

1 7.9

A person who delays making decisions on purpose

is slow by lingering when quickness is expected rather than strategic delay

delayer

vsdawdler

1 7.4

A person who often waits until the last minute to do things

is slow in present action and lingers when promptness matters

slowcoach

vsdawdler

Offensive

1 8.4

A person who takes a long time to do things and makes others wait

is slow and lingers but not necessarily causing group delay

diddler

vsdawdler

Informal

1 9.9

A person who wastes time and does no real work

is slow and lingers with an emphasis on wasting time

putterer

vsdawdler

Informal

1 8.9

A person who spends time doing small, unimportant jobs like fixing things in a garden

is slow by lingering when prompt action is expected

dallier

vsdawdler

1 9.5

A person who wastes time and does not make decisions or take action

is slow in movement and often lingers rather than only avoiding choices

dillydallier

vsdawdler

Informal

8.6

A person who wastes time by being slow to act or decide

lingers specifically when promptness is expected

cunctator

vsdawdler

Archaic

9.9

A person who often delays doing things or making decisions

is slow in movement and lingers rather than only postponing decisions

temporizer

vsdawdler

Formal

9.9

A person who delays action to wait for a better moment

is slow by wasting time or lingering without strategic intent

slack Alice

vsdawdler

Offensive

9.9

A person who is often lazy and late finishing tasks

is slow by lingering as a pattern rather than mere carelessness

piddler

vsdawdler

Informal

9.7

A person who wastes time on small unimportant tasks instead of doing useful work

is slow and lingers generally, not only distracted by small tasks

potterer

vsdawdler

9.9

A person who spends time doing small, unimportant tasks slowly

is slow with unnecessary lingering rather than merely aimless wandering

incher

vsdawdler

Informal

9.9

A person who moves forward very slowly, one small step at a time

is slow and wastes time by lingering rather than slow progress alone

moper

vsdawdler

7.9

A person who moves slowly and wanders without purpose

is slow and specifically lingers when promptness is expected

postponer

vsdawdler

Offensive

8.4

A person who often delays tasks until the last minute

is slow by lingering in the moment rather than mainly postponing

Antonyms

go-getter

16 5.0

A person who is active and tries hard to succeed, especially at work

promptness

4 3.5

Doing something quickly and at the expected time

How Slow

sluggard

Offensive

1 9.9

idler

Offensive

2 7.0

dawdler

1 7.1

slowpoke

Offensive

5 6.8

loiterer

2 5.3

Surface Forms

dawdler singular

dawdlers plural

Morphology

dawdler = dawdle (transparent) = dawdle + er

A straightforward agentive formation from the verb 'dawdle' with the productive suffix '-er'; the meaning 'person who dawdles' is directly inferable.

Etymology

Dawdler comes from the old verb dawdle, which probably comes from a short old word dawd meaning 'to be slow' or 'lazy'. A helpful way to remember dawdler is to picture someone 'dragging their feet' or wasting time, because that is exactly what a dawdler does.