to faddle
1
9.9
- verb
- He spent hours faddling instead of working on the important project.
Examples
-
While Congress, including Democrats, sits around fiddling and faddling, unsure about what ought to be done, states are on the move, making it happen.
Academic text (2002) -
She often faddles with her phone, scrolling through social media when she should be studying.
-
Instead of finishing his homework, he was faddling around with meaningless tasks all evening.
Synonyms
133
4.1
To spend time doing playful or unplanned activities
17
3.7
To spend time doing nothing useful
7
5.9
To spend time somewhere doing nothing special
7
5.8
To do nothing while you wait for something to happen
7
3.8
To relax and do very little
6
9.5
To waste time instead of doing the work you need
6
8.4
To spend time doing not important things in a relaxed way
4
8.7
To spend time doing things that are not important
4
9.6
To waste time doing small unimportant tasks
4
7.9
Spend time doing very little or nothing
2
9.2
To spend time doing small unimportant things instead of working
2
8.7
To waste time doing small unimportant things
1
4.4
To spend time doing very little and relaxing
1
7.1
To spend time idly on unimportant things
1
3.4
To spend time lazily doing little or nothing
1
9.9
To spend time on small, unimportant tasks instead of getting things done
1
6.5
To move around slowly doing small jobs in no hurry
1
6.5
To spend time doing nothing in a lazy way
1
8.6
To spend time doing small unimportant things with no real plan
1
9.9
To waste time instead of doing something useful
1
8.6
To spend time doing very little and moving around without plans
1
8.6
Spend time or money on unimportant things
1
9.9
To waste time instead of doing something useful
To waste time doing small, unimportant things
To touch or move something lightly with your hands
Antonyms
Compounds
How Productive
Surface Forms
Etymology
Faddle can be pictured like fiddle: to play or move with small things instead of doing the main task, so to faddle is 'to waste time' or 'to fuss' about unimportant matters.