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Glite Dictionary
do-little approach

do-little approach

8.2
A way of acting that uses little effort
  • noun
translation icon : enfoque de no hacer nada
  • Politicians criticized the mayor for taking a do-little approach to public safety.

Examples

  • Instead of facing the issue, he adopted a do-little approach and hoped it would resolve itself.

  • The CEO's do-little approach let problems escalate until they were out of control.

  • The government adopted a do-little approach to environmental issues.

  • Many critics argue that a do-little approach is ineffective.

  • Many critics argue that a do-little approach is ineffective in solving community problems.

  • The CEO's do-little approach allowed the company's financial issues to worsen over time.

  • After years of a do-little approach, the city finally took action to improve local infrastructure.

Synonyms

do-nothing
vsdo-little approach
9 7.5

Not willing or able to take action

involves minimal intervention rather than total refusal to act
minimalist
vsdo-little approach
2 6.3

Favoring only small political changes

is a general low-effort approach rather than an ideological reform position
do-little attitude
vsdo-little approach
8.2

A habit of not trying hard and avoiding work

is a policy-level choice to act with minimal intervention
perfunctoriness
vsdo-little approach
9.9

A lack of interest or care when doing something

focuses on doing less as a policy rather than showing low interest
ostrich policy
vsdo-little approach
8.8

To ignore problems instead of trying to fix them

is a restrained action choice, not simply deliberate denial of issues
laxism
vsdo-little approach
9.9

Not being strict about rules or what is right and wrong

focuses on making minimal interventions rather than relaxing rules

Antonyms

involvement
418 2.9

Taking part in an activity, group, or discussion

How Active

action
∞ 1.3
interventionism
  • Specialized
7.2
laissez-faire
  • Formal
7 8.7
do-little approach
8.2

Surface Forms

do-little approach singular
do-little approaches plural

Morphology

do-little + approach

The phrase is directly compositional: 'do-little' literally means to 'do little' (perform minimal action) and 'approach' means a method, so the overall meaning 'a policy of minimal intervention' is derivable from the constituents. The hyphenated adjective + noun pattern is a regular English formation and is cross-linguistically obvious, so a B1 learner who knows 'do', 'little', and 'approach' should understand it.

Etymology

Do-little approach comes from the simple picture of someone who does very little, taking only tiny actions or avoiding work. So, it means a way of acting or a policy of 'making minimal effort' or 'not taking action'.