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   slack

   /slak/

   adjective

   • 1. not taut or held tightly in position; loose: "a slack rope" Similar looselimpnot tautnot tighthangingflappingrelaxedflexiblepliantflaccidflabbyloosesaggingsaggydroopingdroopysoftbaggyloose-fittingloosenot tightgenerously cutroomyshapelesssacklikeoversizedill-fittingbagginghangingflappingsaggyOpposite tighttautstretchedtauttonedfirmtighttailored
   • 2. (of business or trade) characterized by a lack of work or activity; quiet: "business was rather slack"
   • ▪ slow or sluggish: "they were working at a slack pace" Similar sluggishslowquietslow-movingnot busyinactiveflatdepressedstagnantOpposite busythriving
   • 3. having or showing laziness or negligence: "slack accounting procedures" Similar laxnegligentneglectfulremisscarelessslapdashslipshodlackadaisicallazyinefficientincompetentinattentiveoffhandcasualdisorderlydisorganizedderelictinformal:sloppyslap-happydo-nothingasleep at the wheelvulgar slang:half-arsedhalf-assedformal:delinquentrare:otiosepococuranteOpposite meticulousdiligent
   • 4. lewd: West Indian "the veteran king of slack chat"
   • ▪ having many sexual encounters or relationships (typically used of a woman).
   • 5. (of a tide) neither ebbing nor flowing: "soon the water will become slack, and the tide will turn"

   noun

   • 1. the part of a rope or line which is not held taut; the loose or unused part: "I picked up the rod and wound in the slack" Similar loosenessplaygive
   • 2. a spell of inactivity or laziness: "he slept deeply, refreshed by a little slack in the daily routine" Similar lullpauserespitespell of inactivityintervalbreakhiatusbreathing spaceinformal:let-upbreather
   • 3. casual trousers: "he put on a grey shirt and loose cotton slacks"

   verb

   • 1. loosen (something, especially a rope): "slacking the outhaul allows you to adjust the sail"
   • 2. decrease or reduce in intensity, quantity, or speed: "the flow of blood slacked off" Similar reducelessenslackenslowease up/offOpposite increase
   • 3. work slowly or lazily: informal British "she ticked off her girls if they were slacking" Similar idleshirkbe inactivebe lazybe indolentsit back and do nothingwaste timelounge aboutlounge aroundinformal:skivebunk offgoof offOpposite work hard
   • 4. slake (lime): "150 sacks of lime were slacked by the inrushing water"

   Word Origin Old Englishslæc ‘inclined to be lazy, unhurried’, of Germanic origin; related to Latin laxus ‘loose’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. slackly adverb
   • 2. slackness noun

   Scrabble Points: 11

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