procrastination

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UK/pɹəʊˌkɹæs.tɪˈneɪ.ʃən/Canada, US/pɹoʊˌkɹæs.tɪˈneɪ.ʃən/Canada, US[-ʃn̩]Australia/pɹəʉˌkɹæs.tɪˈnæɪ.ʃən/

noun

The act of postponing, delaying or putting off, especially habitually or intentionally.

Similar
deferralprolongationcunctationshillyshallydilatoriness
Opposite
precrastination
OriginMiddle French procrastination ← Latin prōcrāstinātiō →
Less commonScrabble 19
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Meanings

nounprocrastination (usually uncountable, plural procrastinations)

plural procrastinations

  1. uncountableusuallyThe act of postponing, delaying or putting off, especially habitually or intentionally.

    Procrastination is the thief of time; year after year it steals until all are fled.

    1742, [Edward Young], “Night the First”, in The Complaint: Or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, & Immortality, London: […] R[obert] Dodsley […], →OCLC

    Synonyms: deferral, prolongation

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe act of postponing, delaying or putting off, especially habitually or intentionally.

Similar
deferralprolongation
Opposite
precrastination

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe act of procrastinating; putting off or delaying or deferring an action to a later time

Similar
cunctationshillyshally
Broader
delayholdup

nounslowness as a consequence of not getting around to it

Similar
dilatoriness
Broader
slownessdeliberationdeliberateness
Also see
adjournmentcunctationdefermentdemurraldilatorinessprolongationprotraction

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinprōcrāstinātiō
  2. Middle Frenchprocrastination
  3. Englishprocrastination

From Middle French procrastination, from Latin prōcrāstinātiō, from prōcrāstinō (“procrastinate”), from prō + crāstinus (“of tomorrow”), from crās (“tomorrow”).

More words from Middle French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans uitstel
  • uitstelact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Arabic تَسْوِيف, تَأْجِيل
  • تَسْوِيف (taswīf)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • تَأْجِيل (taʔjīl)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
Basque prokrastinazio
  • prokrastinazioact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Bulgarian отла́гане, отсро́чване
  • отла́гане (otlágane)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • отсро́чване (otsróčvane)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • прокрастинация (prokrastinacija)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
Catalan procrastinació
  • procrastinacióact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Chinese Mandarin 耽擱 /耽搁, 拖延
  • 耽擱 /耽搁 (dāngē)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • 拖延 (tuōyán)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
Czech odkládání, prokrastinace
  • odkládáníact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • prokrastinaceact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Danish udsættelse, overspringshandling
  • udsættelseact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • overspringshandlingact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • prokrastineringact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Dutch uitstel, uitstelgedrag
  • uitstelact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • uitstelgedragact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • procrastinatieact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Esperanto prokrasto
  • prokrastoact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Estonian prokrastinatsioon
  • prokrastinatsioonact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Finnish lykkäys, jahkailu
  • lykkäysact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • jahkailuact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • viivyttelyact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • vitkasteluact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • aikailuact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • kuhnailuact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • aikaansaamattomuusact of postponing, delaying or putting off
French procrastination
  • procrastinationact of postponing, delaying or putting off
German Aufschub, Prokrastination
  • Aufschubact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • Prokrastinationact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Greek αναβλητικότητα
  • αναβλητικότητα (anavlitikótita)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
Hebrew דחיינות
  • דחיינותact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Hindi दीर्घसूत्रता
  • दीर्घसूत्रता (dīrghasūtratā)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
Hungarian halogatás, késlekedés
  • halogatásact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • késlekedésact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Indonesian penundaan, prokrastinasi
  • penundaanact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • prokrastinasiact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Italian procrastinazione
  • procrastinazioneact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Japanese 先延ばし, 遅滞
  • 先延ばし (sakinobashi)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • 遅滞 (chitai)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
Korean 지연행동
  • 지연행동 (jiyeonhaengdong)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
Latin morōsitās, prōcrāstinātiō
  • morōsitāsact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • prōcrāstinātiōact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Lithuanian atidėliojimas, vilkinimas
  • atidėliojimasact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • vilkinimasact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Māori tonanawetanga
  • tonanawetangaact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Norwegian Bokmål prokrastinering
  • prokrastineringact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Polish zwłoka, prokrastynacja
  • zwłokaact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • prokrastynacjaact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Portuguese procrastinação
  • procrastinaçãoact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Punjabi ਪ੍ਰੋਕ੍ਰਾਸਟ੍ਰੀਨੇਸ਼ਨ
  • ਪ੍ਰੋਕ੍ਰਾਸਟ੍ਰੀਨੇਸ਼ਨ (prokrāsṭrīneśan)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
Romanian amânare, procrastinare
  • amânareact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • procrastinareact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Russian откла́дывание, отсро́чка
  • откла́дывание (otkládyvanije)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • отсро́чка (otsróčka)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • промедле́ние (promedlénije)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • проволо́чка (provolóčka)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • прокрастина́ция (prokrastinácija)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
Scottish Gaelic màirnealachd
  • màirnealachdact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Slovak prokrastinácia
  • prokrastináciaact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Spanish desidia, dejar algo para más tarde, para mañana...
  • desidiaact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • dejar algo para más tarde, para mañana...act of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • procrastinaciónact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Swedish förhalning, förhalande
  • förhalningact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • förhalandeact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • prokrastineringact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Tagalog pagpapaliban, pagpapabukas-bukas
  • pagpapalibanact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • pagpapabukas-bukasact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Tamil தள்ளிப்போடுதல்
  • தள்ளிப்போடுதல் (taḷḷippōṭutal)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
Thai การผัดวันประกันพรุ่ง, การผัด
  • การผัดวันประกันพรุ่งact of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • การผัดact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Turkish ertelemecilik
  • ertelemecilikact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Ukrainian прокрастина́ція, відкладання на потім
  • прокрастина́ція (prokrastynácija)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • відкладання на потім (vidkladannja na potim)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
  • зволіка́ння (zvolikánnja)act of postponing, delaying or putting off
Vietnamese trì hoãn
  • trì hoãnact of postponing, delaying or putting off
Yiddish אָפּלייגעכץ
  • אָפּלייגעכץ (opleygekhts)act of postponing, delaying or putting off

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with procrastination

informationeducationlocationapplicationassociationadministrationorganizationcorporationregistrationAsianfoundationcommunicationpopulationnavigationstationaccommodationoperationpublicationvacationtransportationevaluationimplementationinstallationnation
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

procrastination. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/procrastination

MLA

“procrastination.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/procrastination. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “procrastination,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/procrastination.

Source: procrastination on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.