lazy
la·zy/ˈleɪ̯zi(ː)/adjective, verb, noun
lazy is spelled L-A-Z-Y: 4 letters and 2 syllables (la·zy). It appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,752nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, lazy means “Unwilling to do work or make an effort; disinclined to exertion” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in lazy?
| Letters | 4: L-A-Z-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: la·zy |
| In writing | 17 times per million words; the 4,752nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is lazy?
Lazy appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,752nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce lazy?
- US /ˈleɪ̯zi(ː)/
- US [ˈleɪ̯zɪi̯]
- Australia /ˈlæɪziː/
Lazy has 2 syllables, split la·zy in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-lazy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with lazy?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as lazy from its last stressed vowel (/eɪzi/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of lazy
- lazier comparative
- laziest superlative
- lazies present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- lazying participle, present
- lazied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lazy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Unwilling to do work or make an effort; disinclined to exertion.
Get out of bed, you lazy lout!
- 2
Causing or characterised by idleness; relaxed or leisurely.
I love staying inside and reading on a lazy Sunday.
- 3
Showing a lack of effort or care.
lazy writing
- 4
Sluggish; slow-moving.
We strolled along beside a lazy stream.
- 5
Droopy.
a lazy-eared rabbit
- 6
Of an eye, squinting because of a weakness of the eye muscles.
- 7
Turned so that (the letter) is horizontal instead of vertical.
- 8
Employing lazy evaluation; not calculating results until they are immediately required.
a lazy algorithm
verb
- 1
informalTo laze, act in a lazy manner.
noun
- 1
A lazy person.
- 2
obsoleteSloth (animal).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lazy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | paresseux, fainéant , inactif |
| German | faul |
| Portuguese | preguiçoso |
| Spanish | perezoso, flojo, locho, haragán, vago, holgazán |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does lazy come from?
Attested since 1540, origin uncertain. Probably from Low German and Middle Low German lasich (“slack, feeble, lazy”), from las, from Old Saxon lask, from Proto-Germanic *lasiwaz, *laskaz (“feeble, weak”), from Proto-Indo-European *las- (“weak”). Akin to Dutch leuzig (“lazy”), German lässig (“casual, nonchalant, laid-back, easy-going”), Old Norse lasinn (“limpy, tired, weak”), Old English lesu, lysu (“false, evil, base”). More at lush. An alternative etymology traces lazy to Early Modern English laysy, a derivative of lay (plural lays + -y) in the same way that tipsy is derived from tip.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).