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Glite Dictionary
to malinger

to malinger

1 8.9
To pretend to be ill or hurt to avoid work
  • verb
  • /məˈlɪŋɡər/
  • Formal
translation icon : simular enfermedad
  • The colonel might think I'm malingering.

Examples

  • After several absences, his colleagues suspected he was malingering to avoid difficult tasks.

  • Did you really hurt yourself or you just malingering?

    Eggshells (1971)

  • Are we sure Carver's not malingering?

    Bring It On (2000)

  • He does his work without shirking or malingering.

    Nickel Boys (2024)

  • He doesn't remember doing it, and the experts testified that he was not malingering.

    Academic text (1998)

  • He tried to convince his boss that he was too sick to work, but everyone knew he was just malingering.

  • When the deadline approached, she started malingering, claiming she had a migraine to avoid completing the project.

Synonyms

to goldbrick
vsto malinger
  • Archaic
1 9.5

To avoid work by pretending to be busy

is specifically about faking illness rather than pretending busyness
to scrimshank
vsto malinger
  • Archaic
9.9

To avoid work or duties by pretending to be sick

focuses specifically on faking illness to escape duties
to play the wag
vsto malinger
  • UK
9.9

Pretend to be ill to avoid going to work or school

applies across jobs and situations, not limited to schools

How Deceptive

sickie
  • Slang
1 9.0
to malinger
  • Formal
1 8.9
to sham
1 6.4
to simulate
20 6.7

Surface Forms

malinger infinitive
malingered past
malingered past participle
malingering present participle
malingers third person singular

Etymology

Malinger comes from an old French word malingre, meaning 'sickly', and is related to English malady ('illness'). That's why to malinger is to pretend to be sick to avoid work or duty.