Meaning & use
procrastinator
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
a person who delays doing things they should do, often until the last moment
Grammar: Countable: a procrastinator, two procrastinators. Often used with 'be' or 'become'.
Patterns
- be a procrastinator
- become a procrastinator
- a chronic procrastinator
My brother is a procrastinator; he always waits until the night before a deadline to start.
As a student, she was a terrible procrastinator and often handed in work late.
He admits he's a procrastinator, but he says he works best under pressure.
Word forms
| plural | procrastinators |
|---|
Common combinations
- a chronic procrastinator
- He's a chronic procrastinator who has missed many opportunities.
- a terrible procrastinator
- I'm a terrible procrastinator when it comes to doing my taxes.
- admit to being a procrastinator
- She admitted to being a procrastinator and asked for help.
- a procrastinator by nature
- He's a procrastinator by nature, so he sets many alarms.
Synonyms and how they differ
- delayer
- Less common and more neutral; 'procrastinator' suggests a habit of putting things off unnecessarily.
- dawdler
- Focuses on moving slowly rather than on postponing tasks.
Word family
- procrastinate verb
- To delay doing something, often until the last minute.
- procrastination noun
- The act or habit of delaying tasks.
Commonly confused: procrastinator or prevaricator? procrastinator or proctor?
procrastinator vs prevaricator
A prevaricator avoids telling the truth, while a procrastinator avoids doing tasks.
procrastinator vs proctor
A proctor supervises an exam; a procrastinator delays work. The words sound somewhat similar but mean very different things.
Practice
Because he always puts off his assignments until the last minute, everyone calls him a ___.
Choose one answer.
A procrastinator delays tasks. A proctor supervises exams, a prevaricator avoids the truth, and a proponent supports an idea, so none of those fit the context of putting off assignments.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “procrastinator”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.