as in delay
a state, a habit, or an instance of being slow or late about doing something that should be done
Though she has a tendency towards procrastination, she never fails to turn in her papers on time.
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Recent Examples of procrastination
The sports ticket market generally doesn’t reward procrastination but this one might.
—
Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
After battling burnout, persistent procrastination or social weariness for years, professionals are beginning to wonder if laziness was ever the cause.
—Malana Vantyler, Sacbee.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Caroline first learned about the Hole in her twenties by reading mommy blogs, a form of procrastination less about satisfying any conscious curiosity about motherhood and more about finding comfort in the easy intimacy with which these women wrote about their own lives.
—Literary Hub, 9 Apr. 2026
When the future feels uncertain, paralysis can look like procrastination.
—Ali Kaufman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
The Trimmer understands that a strategic delay is not procrastination, but a patient wait until the situation clarifies itself.
—David Brooks, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Raking and Disposing of Leaves in the Fall Any home gardener who likes indulging in procrastination will love to hear this one.
—Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 25 Feb. 2026
Perfectionism is just a socially acceptable form of procrastination.
—Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The triple-check system helps circumvent the ‘shame’ component of procrastination, Le Cunff says.
—Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
After battling burnout, persistent procrastination or social weariness for years, professionals are beginning to wonder if laziness was ever the cause.
—Malana Vantyler, Sacbee.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Caroline first learned about the Hole in her twenties by reading mommy blogs, a form of procrastination less about satisfying any conscious curiosity about motherhood and more about finding comfort in the easy intimacy with which these women wrote about their own lives.
—Literary Hub, 9 Apr. 2026
When the future feels uncertain, paralysis can look like procrastination.
—Ali Kaufman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
The Trimmer understands that a strategic delay is not procrastination, but a patient wait until the situation clarifies itself.
—David Brooks, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Raking and Disposing of Leaves in the Fall Any home gardener who likes indulging in procrastination will love to hear this one.
—Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 25 Feb. 2026
Perfectionism is just a socially acceptable form of procrastination.
—Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The triple-check system helps circumvent the ‘shame’ component of procrastination, Le Cunff says.
—Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for procrastination
Noun
-
The delays in filling housing through the city’s lottery have knock-on effects beyond the apartments not going quickly to the people who need them.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
-
Consumers can track a package or rideshare driver in real time, yet hospitals still struggle to reliably exchange imaging studies, authorization records and clinical documentation without delays, duplication or manual intervention.—
Demetri Giannikopoulos,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Activist spirits might dismiss this emphasis on the purely sonic as a strategy of avoidance, although the likes of Feizabadi and Kourliandski can’t be accused of sitting idly by.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
At its most fundamental, disgust is a pathogen-avoidance mechanism.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
All of this was aggravated by a raft of economic uncertainties, from weak domestic consumption to the threat of a historic trade war with the US, leaving the keenest buyers, like Cai, to think twice before entering the market.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
-
Second, in terms of transportation methods, growing uncertainty around air travel has led European travelers to consider alternatives such as rail.—
,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
But the issue also is the waiting game with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
9 May 2026
-
And for the employee, the waiting compounds.—
Josh D Shapiro,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Procrastination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/procrastination. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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