Dictionary

lethargic en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ləˈθɑː.d͡ʒɪk/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ləˈθɑːd͡ʒək/ (New-Zealand)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ləˈθɑɹd͡ʒɪk/ (Canada, General-American)

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ληθαργικός (lēthargikós), from λήθαργος (lḗthargos, “forgetful, lethargic”), from λήθη (lḗthē, “a forgetting, forgetfulness”) (from which Lethe (“river in Hades”)) + ἀργός (argós, “not working”). By surface analysis, lethargy + -ic.

Meanings

1. Sluggish, slow.
   • [That cat] hasn't caught a mouse since he was a slip of a kitten. Except when eating, he does nothing but sleep. Lethargic is the word that springs to the lips. If you cast an eye on him, you will see that he's asleep now. 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter VII:
   • She was, in fact, constitutionally impervious to statistics and preferred to study the be-headphoned group of fifteen or so lethargic wanderers who were taking even less notice of the remorseless squawkings than she was. 1968, Christopher Hodder-Williams, “Hands”, in Fistful of Digits, London: Coronet Books, published 1972, →ISBN, page 125:
2. Indifferent, apathetic.

Forms

Deriveds

antilethargic · lethargically · lethargicness

Relateds

philalethia · lethargy · Lethe · alethic · alethiology

Synonyms

slow-moving · slow as molasses in January · deaf · listless · inert · leaden · languid · inert · inactive · heartless · unmoved · adiaphroistic · heavy-footed · low-speed · unmoving · unimpressible · dull · labored · slowfooted · insensible · lethargic · lead-footed · otiose · gallionic · unactive · pococurante · subglacial · lumbering · testudineous · plodding · dormant · at rest · languorous · unenthusiastic · slow as molasses · unspeedy · insouciant · lethargic · slow as Christmas · languid · creeping · Laodicean · gastropodous · unoccupied · turtlesque · silent · ponderous · unlively · tardy · sluggish · dull · meh · lotophagous · stately · torpid · inching · hibernating · slothlike · nonactive · suspended · impassive · idle · halfhearted · unaroused · slow · unemployed · quiescent · mopey · sedent · cool · passive · lazy · torpid · abeyant · steady · nonplussed · slack · apathistical · latent · tepid · supine · unconcerned · sedentary · ineffervescible · unbusy · cessant · nonchalant · slow as a snail · languid · shiftless · uncaring · lukewarm · untouched · phlegmatic · uninterested · glacial · slow · apathetic · enervated · tardigrade · torpid · spiritless · fallow · lackadaisical · languorous · blithe · torpid · jaded · torpid · unmoving · draggy · standing by · unzealous · pokey · world-weary · tedious · sullen · torpedinous · dispassionate · turtleish · crawling · dreich · blasé · indifferent

Translations (26)

grc λήθαργος (sluggish, indifferent) · es tardo (sluggish, indifferent) · fr mollasson (sluggish, indifferent) · tr uyuz (sluggish, indifferent) · fi veltto (sluggish, indifferent) · txb ālase (sluggish, indifferent) · cmn 昏睡的 (sluggish, indifferent) · it letargico (sluggish, indifferent) · pt letárgico (sluggish, indifferent) · mi ārangirangi (sluggish, indifferent) · fr léthargique (sluggish, indifferent) · es letárgico (sluggish, indifferent) · te మందకొడి (sluggish, indifferent) · ca letàrgic (sluggish, indifferent) · fi unelias (sluggish, indifferent) · sv letargisk (sluggish, indifferent) · de träge (sluggish, indifferent) · ga marbhánta (sluggish, indifferent) · ru апати́чный (sluggish, indifferent) · bg сънлив (sluggish, indifferent) · sa अलस (sluggish, indifferent) · fi vetelä (sluggish, indifferent) · bg апатичен (sluggish, indifferent) · ru вя́лый (sluggish, indifferent) · bg отпуснат (sluggish, indifferent) · hi आलसी (sluggish, indifferent)