as in to lazy
to pretend to be sick or injured in order to avoid doing work
Because of his frequent absences, his boss suspected he was malingering.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of malinger
The entire day felt dehumanizing, as if her nearly eight years with the company, her medical problems and her physical pain had been reduced to nothing more than malingering and scattered incidents of tardiness.
—
Greg Jaffe, Anchorage Daily News, 18 June 2023
Goldstein, who did not return a message seeking comment, practices in Chicago and has lectured on the topic of malingering, according to a resume posted online.
—Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2023
But when workers take advantage of the manager’s kindly nature to malinger or disrupt operations, the entire business is threatened.
—Bill Conerly, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2022
The decision against Robert Krebs came after a psychologist determined Krebs didn’t have a mental illness or cognitive impairment and was instead malingering to avoid prosecution for the robbery last year in Tucson.
—Jacques Billeaud, BostonGlobe.com, 24 June 2019
On Monday, prosecutor Stuart Silberg said Ms. Ortega could have been malingering, or faking her psychiatric state.
—Corinne Ramey, WSJ, 31 July 2017
The question is obviously especially consequential when deeming a person malingering means they could be put to death.
—James Hamblin, The Atlantic, 5 May 2017
Greg Jaffe, Anchorage Daily News, 18 June 2023
Goldstein, who did not return a message seeking comment, practices in Chicago and has lectured on the topic of malingering, according to a resume posted online.
—Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2023
But when workers take advantage of the manager’s kindly nature to malinger or disrupt operations, the entire business is threatened.
—Bill Conerly, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2022
The decision against Robert Krebs came after a psychologist determined Krebs didn’t have a mental illness or cognitive impairment and was instead malingering to avoid prosecution for the robbery last year in Tucson.
—Jacques Billeaud, BostonGlobe.com, 24 June 2019
On Monday, prosecutor Stuart Silberg said Ms. Ortega could have been malingering, or faking her psychiatric state.
—Corinne Ramey, WSJ, 31 July 2017
The question is obviously especially consequential when deeming a person malingering means they could be put to death.
—James Hamblin, The Atlantic, 5 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malinger
Verb
-
But planes have only just recently started moving along the assembly lines that were idled by the two-month work stoppage.Chris Isidore, CNN, 10 Dec. 2024
-
Competing against the best of the National League is another matter, but idling just above .500 isn’t palatable to fans in one of the largest markets in the country.Jared Wyllys, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
Usher, Coming Home This is Usher’s best album since 2004’s Confessions, and I’m bummed that more people haven’t listened to it.Mesfin Fekadu, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Dec. 2024
-
A lot of environmentalists are bummed—even scared—about the results of the recent presidential election.Kristin Hostetter, Outside Online, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
That rough rollout inspired immediate push-back and criticism from activists, some of which attached traffic cones to the hoods of cars to fool Cruise sensors and immobilize them.Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 11 Dec. 2024
-
Don't be fooled into thinking a nice hotel is less likely to have bedbugs.Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Georgia Tech coach Brent Key quietly has turned a Yellow Jackets mess back into a solid program.Chris Vannini, The Athletic, 19 Aug. 2024
-
Best Walmart Black Friday Cordless Vacuum Deals Cordless vacuums can make cleaning up small, everyday messes a simple task.Rachel Trujillo, People.com, 29 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near malinger
Cite this Entry
“Malinger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malinger. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share