malinger
Verb
Verb Forms: malingered, malingering, malingers
- To feign illness to avoid duty or work.
- avoid responsibilities and duties, e.g., by pretending to be ill
- To feign illness, injury, or incapacitation in order to avoid work, obligation, or perilous risk.
- To self-inflict real injury or infection (to inflict self-harm) in order to avoid work, obligation, or perilous risk.
Examples
- He would malinger, pretending to ponder his move, to buy time for a coffee break.
- It is not uncommon on exam days for several students to malinger rather than prepare themselves.
Origin / Etymology
From French malingrer, from adjective malingre (“delicate, fragile”).
Synonyms
Scrabble Score: 11
malinger: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordmalinger: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
malinger: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary
Words With Friends Score: 15
malinger: valid Words With Friends Word