malinger
UK /məˈlɪŋɡə/ · US /məˈlɪŋɡɚ/ verb, proper noun
Forms malingers malingering malingered
- verb (ambitransitive) To feign illness, injury, or incapacitation in order to avoid work, obligation, or perilous risk. “It is not uncommon on exam days for several students to malinger rather than prepare themselves.”
- verb (ambitransitive) To self-inflict real injury or infection (to inflict self-harm) in order to avoid work, obligation, or perilous risk.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
From French malingrer, from adjective malingre (“delicate, fragile”).
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “malinger”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details