Definition

Noun: The act of wasting time by moving, acting, or proceeding slowly; lingering or idling instead of working or moving with purpose. It implies a deliberate or leisurely delay.

Usage

"Dawdling" is used to describe the action of someone who is being slow and unhurried, often when they should be doing something more purposeful or urgent. It carries a connotation of mild criticism for wasting time.

Examples

• The teacher warned the students that any dawdling on the way back from lunch would make them late for class.
• His constant dawdling in the morning is the reason we are always late.
• We have no time for dawdling if we want to catch the train.

Advanced Usage

• "To be accused of dawdling": To be charged with the fault of wasting time.
  • The worker was accused of dawdling on the job.
• Conceptual use: Can describe slow, inefficient progress in non-human contexts.
  • The dawdling pace of the negotiations frustrated everyone involved.

Variants and Related Words

• Dawdle (verb): To waste time; to be slow.
  • Don't dawdle over your breakfast.
• Dawdler (noun): A person who dawdles.
  • He's such a dawdler that he misses every deadline.

Synonyms

• Lingering: Remaining in a place longer than necessary.
• Dilly-dallying: Wasting time through indecision or trifling. (More informal)
• Loitering: Standing or waiting around idly without a clear purpose.
• Procrastination: The action of delaying or postponing a task (often implies putting off a specific duty).

Antonyms

• Hastening
• Hurrying
• Expediting

Noun

1. the deliberate act of delaying and playing instead of working