unemotional
(uhn-ih-MOH-shuh-nl)
ADJECTIVE: Without emotion; impassion.
unenergetic
(uhn-en-er-JET-ik)
ADJECTIVE: Lacking in energy; lazy.
unexcitable
(uhn-ik-SY-tuh-buhl)
ADJECTIVE: Impervious to excitement or enthusiasm; imperturbable.
unexerted
(uhn-ig-ZURT-ted)
ADJECTIVE: Without exertion; lacking energy.
The men who create power make an indispensable contribution to the Nation’s greatness, but the men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable, especially when that questioning is disinterested, for they determine whether we use power or power uses us.
—JOHN F. KENNEDY
unfelt
(uhn-felt)
ADJECTIVE: Not felt or aware of.
unfruitful
(uhn-FROOT-fuhl)
ADJECTIVE: Without success or the desired result; futile.
Our efforts to prepare a meal were UNFRUITFUL; maybe if we worked harder or knew how to cook we would be eating right now.
unindustrious
(in-DUHS-tree-uhs)
ADJECTIVE: Lacking in ambition and energy; unproductive.
uninspired
(uhn-in-SPYUHRD)
ADJECTIVE: Lacking encouragement or inspiration; bland.
uninterested
(uhn-IN-ter-uh-stid)
ADJECTIVE: Showing a total lack of interest; indifferent or apathetic.
unlax
(uhn-LAKS)
VERB: A slang term meaning to relax.
unmindfulness
(uhn-MYND-fuhl)
NOUN: Unawareness; heedlessness.
unmoved
(uhn-moovd)
ADJECTIVE: Not swayed or affected by something; indifferent.
unobservant
(uhn-uhb-ZUR-vuhnt)
ADJECTIVE: Not alert or attentive.
The UNOBSERVANT mother did not notice when her children slipped outside and ran down the street, returning with candy.
unoccupied
(uhn-OK-yuh-pyd)
ADJECTIVE: Empty or vacant; not currently in use.
unproductive
(uhn-pruh-DUHK-tiv)
ADJECTIVE: Producing no significant results; barren.
unresponsive
(uhn-ri-SPON-siv)
ADJECTIVE: Not responding or reacting.
unsociable
(uhn-SOH-shuh-buhl)
ADJECTIVE: Unfriendly or antisocial; disliking the company of others.
The count was UNSOCIABLE; although he didn’t mind contributing to charity, he had no desire to attend the fundraising functions or make public appearances.
unsubstantial
(uhn-suhb-STAN-shuhl)
ADJECTIVE: Without substance or strength; worthless.
unsuccessful
(uhn-suhk-SES-fuhl)
ADJECTIVE: Not successful; failed.
unthinking
(uhn-THING-king)
ADJECTIVE: Not thinking; careless or thoughtless.
unwind
(uhn-WYND)
VERB: To relax, particularly after a particularly busy or stressful time.
useless
(YOOS-lis)
ADJECTIVE: Of no worthwhile use; ineffective.
V
vacillate
(VAS-uh-layt)
VERB: To go back and forth between two sides without making a firm decision.
vacuous
(VAK-yoo-uhs)
ADJECTIVE: Empty; unintelligent or dim.
valueless
(VAL-yoo-lis)
ADJECTIVE: Of no value; worthless.
vapid
(VAP-id)
ADJECTIVE: Lacking any depth; insipid or dull.
She was VAPID and devoid of any real conversation or profound understanding.
vegetate
(VEJ-i-tayt)
VERB: To be inactive or sluggish; stagnate.
void
(voyd)
ADJECTIVE: To be ineffective or lacking; as a noun it refers to an empty space or loss of something; as a verb it means to cancel or negate.
Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor
of the mind.
—LEONARDO DA VINCI
W
wane
(wayn)
VERB: To decrease in power or intensity; to come to an end.
He was so used to relaxing rather than working that just a few minutes after picking up a shovel his power would begin to WANE.
waster
(way-ster)
NOUN: A person or thing who wastes something.
wastrel
(WAY-struhl)
NOUN: An insulting term coined for those who are wasteful or lazy.
wayward
(WAY-werd)
ADJECTIVE: Disobedient or errant; capricious or unpredictable.
weariness
(WEER-ee-nis)
NOUN: Tiredness; exhaustion.
Progress isn’t made by early risers. It’s made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.
—ROBERT HEINLEN
weltschmerz
(VELT-shmerts)
NOUN: In German, weltschmerz translates to “world pain” and relates to a certain world-weariness or apathy caused by the current state of affairs in the world.
while away
(hwyl uh-WAY)
VERB: To pass time in a leisurely manner.
wither
(WITH-er)
VERB: To deteriorate and become weak; shrivel.
Years of avoiding work caused her body to WITHER and become frail.
woozy
(WOO-zee)
ADJECTIVE: Dizzy or faint; confused.
work-shy
(work-shy)
ADJECTIVE: Avoiding work or exertion; lazy.
world-weariness
(wurld-WEER-ee-nis)
NOUN: Fatigue or boredom with the world and particularly its material things.
worthless
(WURTH-lis)
ADJECTIVE: Insignificant or of no value; useless.
Though he volunteered for the cause, he was WORTHLESS when it came to actually helping with the physical labor.
Y and Z
yawn
(yawn)
VERB: Involuntarily open one’s mouth wide and inhale deeply due to tiredness.
She remained so lazy and tired throughout every day that it was rare for her to go more than a few minutes without a YAWN.
yuppie flu
(YUHP-ee floo)
NOUN: An informal term describing any fatigue-causing disorder, like chronic fatigue syndrome, associated with stress.
zone out
(ZOHN out)
VERB: To stop paying attention.
zonk
(zongk)
VERB: To fall into a deep sleep; to pass out due to intoxication.
Out of passions grow opinions; mental sloth lets these rigidify into convictions.
—FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE
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Sloth: A Dictionary for the Lazy Page 5