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.
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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
-
Used cars will go up big and auto plants will be idled like mad.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
16 Mar. 2025
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Their boat was found idling in circles, sparking a massive search.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Journey fans were bummed when their favorite band had to hot-foot it off the stage on Friday (March 14) just five songs into their set at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at NRG Stadium.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
17 Mar. 2025
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Yoshi’s bummed about being denied a puppy by her parents, tempers her anger and fills the void with a scavenger hunt in her backyard that turns up a lizard (Laggie) and a cricket (Grillo).—
Catharine Kaufman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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This pair looks like a classic trouser, with front pleats and a relaxed leg — but don’t be fooled.—
Genevieve Cepeda,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Mar. 2025
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Do not be fooled by this bill’s carve-out for masks worn for health and religious reasons.—
Nikki Morse,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Leaving her alone all morning, and just when something decent is happening, messing it up.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
5 Mar. 2025
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European leaders have messed it up in the last three years.—
Peter Aitken,
Newsweek,
22 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malinger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malinger. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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