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laggardly

laggardly

8.1
In a slow way that makes tasks finish late
  • adjective
  • /ˈlæɡərdli/
translation icon : lentamente
  • The engine started laggardly, struggling to rev up before finally gaining speed.

Examples

  • But the next morning, he woke me early from a dream of Amy Lash by tapping my shoulder and saying, "Move your laggardly ass."

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Private investors have not been laggardly either.

    Blog text (31)
  • This caused most of the established, but laggardly, pocketwatch makers to fold.

    Blog text (19)
  • "Helga spoke so sternly that she might have been chastising the dead man for the laggardly pace of his reheating.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The students responded laggardly to the teacher's questions, taking a long time to think before answering.

  • As the deadline approached, he worked laggardly, causing concern among his teammates.

Synonyms

at a snail's pace
vslaggardly
  • Informal
3 3.8

Very slowly, much slower than usual

means slow or delayed but not necessarily extremely slow
sluggishly
vslaggardly
3 3.6

Slowly and with little energy

is slow or delayed without stressing low energy
tardily
vslaggardly
1 6.7

Later than expected or usual

is slow or delayed in general rather than only late timing
torpidly
vslaggardly
8.7

Moving slowly and without much energy

is slow or delayed without implying strong lethargy
draggingly
vslaggardly
8.3

Moving in a slow, heavy way that feels boring

is slow but not necessarily laborious or tedious
slothfully
vslaggardly
6.5

Move or act slowly with little energy

describes slowness without implying laziness or unwillingness
lazily
vslaggardly
  • Specialized
5.4

In a way that waits to load or work out something until it is needed

is slow or delayed in general, not a technical strategy

Antonyms

1.0

At a fast speed or without delay

98 2.1

Without delay or at the planned time

How Slow

sluggishly
3 3.6
laggardly
8.1
slowly
1.0

Surface Forms

laggardly positive
laggardlier comparative
laggardliest superlative

Morphology

laggardly = laggard (semi-transparent) = laggard + ly

The word is formed by adding the productive suffix '-ly' to 'laggard', directly creating the adverb/adjective form.

Etymology

Laggardly comes from the simple word lag ('to fall behind') and laggard ('a slow person'). So, to act laggardly is to move or respond slowly, or to be late compared with others.