layabout

/ˈleɪəbaʊt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈleɪəbaʊt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlā-ə-ˌbau̇t/ (ame, mw)

layabout — noun

  • layaboutsingular
  • layaboutsplural

1. someone who spends their days doing nothing useful and avoids any kind of work o

1.名詞C1
釋義

someone who spends their days doing nothing useful and avoids any kind of work or effort, in a way the speaker finds annoying.

例句

Christopher's father called him a layabout for sleeping until noon every day.

noun + complement: called him a layabout

The village had a reputation for producing layabouts who lived off their parents.

plural form in general statement

同義詞
  • idler

    slightly more literary; same disapproving tone.

  • slacker

    more American; about avoiding effort at school or work specifically.

  • loafer

    older, milder; someone who hangs around doing nothing.

  • good-for-nothing

    very informal and harsher; suggests the person is also useless.

反義詞
  • hard worker

    neutral opposite; describes someone who works diligently.

  • go-getter

    approving; someone energetic and ambitious.

文法句型

a layabout

lazy layabout

用法筆記

Strongly disapproving and informal; common in British English. Usually appears as a noun complement after 'be' or 'call someone'. The plural 'layabouts' is frequent in generalising or judging statements.

常見錯誤

❌He layabouts on the sofa all day.
✅He lazes around on the sofa all day.
💡'layabout' is a noun only, not a verb.
❌She is a layabout employee.
✅She is a lazy employee.
💡'layabout' is not used as an adjective before nouns; use 'lazy' instead.