Definition of malinger
- His boss suspected him of malingering because of his frequent absences from work.
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
His boss suspected him of malingering because of his frequent absences from work.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'malinger.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Do you know someone who always seems to develop an ailment when there's work to be done? Someone who merits an Academy Award for his or her superb simulation of symptoms? Then you know a malingerer. The verb malinger comes from the French word malingre, meaning "sickly," and one who malingers feigns illness. In its earliest uses in the 19th century, malinger usually referred to a soldier or sailor pretending to be sick or insane to shirk duty. Later, psychologists began using malingering as a clinical term to describe the feigning of illness in avoidance of a duty or for personal gain. Today, malinger is used in just about any context in which someone fakes sickness or injury to get out of an undesirable task.
First Known Use: 1820See Words from the same year
: to pretend to be sick or injured in order to avoid doing work
What made you want to look up malinger? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
to speak or write verbosely and windily
Get Word of the Day daily email!
Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz