laid-back friend

3.0

A friend who is relaxed and does not get stressed easily

noun
/leɪd bæk frɛnd/

Informal

: amigo relajado

Everyone loves hanging out with Mark because he is such a laid-back friend who never gets stressed about plans.

Examples

Unlike my competitive classmates, my most laid-back friend always takes things in stride and never worries too much.
My laid-back friend always knows how to relax.
A laid-back friend can help you stay calm during stressful times and enjoy life more.
He is such a laid-back friend to have around.
My laid-back friend always knows how to relax and enjoy life without stress.
Whenever I have a problem, my laid-back friend is there to help me feel calm and collected.
At the beach, my laid-back friend enjoys lounging and chatting rather than worrying about anything.

Antonyms

uptight

Informal

77 5.0

Nervous and tense so you cannot relax

stressed

2.7

Feeling worried and unable to relax because of pressure

How Relaxed

unflappable

9 7.4

laid-back friend

Informal

3.0

easygoing

22 2.6

Surface Forms

laid-back friend singular

laid-back friends plural

Morphology

laid-back + friend

The meaning 'a friend who is relaxed and easy-going' is directly and transparently derived from combining the adjective 'laid-back' (relaxed) with the noun 'friend' (someone known with mutual affection). This is a straightforward adjective + noun composition following common lexical patterns cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the phrase.

Etymology

Laid-back friend comes from the words laid and back, which give the picture of someone leaning or lying back to relax, so it now means a friend who is 'relaxed' and 'easy-going'.