fainéant

fai·né·ant

 (fā′nā-äN′)

adj.

Given to doing nothing; lazy.

n.

One who is lazy or idle.

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[French, alteration (influenced by fait néant, does nothing) of Old French faignant, idler, from present participle of faindre, feindre, to feign; see feign.]

fainéant

(ˈfeɪnɪənt; French fɛneɑ̃)

n

a lazy person; idler

adj

indolent

[C17: from French, modification of earlier fait-nient (he) does nothing, by folk etymology from Old French faignant shirker, from faindre to be lazy]

ˈfaineance, ˈfaineancy n

fai•né•ant

(ˌfeɪ neɪˈɑ̃)

adj., n., pl. -ants (-ˈɑ̃z) adj.

1. Also, fai•ne•ant (ˈfeɪ ni ənt) idle; indolent.

n.

2. an idler.

[1610–20; < French, earlier fait-nient, literally, he does nothing]

fai′ne•ance, n.

Thesaurus

Adj.

1.

faineant - disinclined to work or exertion; "faineant kings under whose rule the country languished"; "an indolent hanger-on"; "too lazy to wash the dishes"; "shiftless idle youth"; "slothful employees"; "the unemployed are not necessarily work-shy" indolent, slothful, work-shy, lazy, otiose idle - not in action or at work; "an idle laborer"; "idle drifters"; "the idle rich"; "an idle mind"

fainéant

adjective

Resistant to exertion and activity:

idle, indolent, lazy, shiftless, slothful, sluggard, sluggish.

Informal: do-nothing.

Idiom: bone lazy.

noun

A self-indulgent person who spends time avoiding work or other useful activity:

bum, drone, good-for-nothing, idler, layabout, loafer, ne'er-do-well, no-good, slugabed, sluggard, wastrel.

Informal: do-little, do-nothing, lazybones, slug.

Slang: slouch.