Meaning & use

procrastination

noun·Academic

The act of needlessly delaying or postponing tasks that should be done.

See it in a sentence

Procrastination led her to write the entire report the night before it was due.

His procrastination meant the project was always finished at the very last minute.

A note on using this word

Procrastination specifically implies avoidable delay, often caused by distraction or reluctance, rather than delay due to genuine obstacles.

Words with a similar meaning

delaypostponement

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

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