SHIRKER Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

shirker

noun

Definition of shirker

as in lingerer

one who deliberately avoids work or duty even before we weighed anchor, the captain forcefully served notice that there would be no shirkers on his ship

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for shirker

Noun

The lingerers brought their dirty dishes to the bus tub, wiped their mouths one last time with a napkin, and waved to Cleo, their faces saying, Nice job!

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
Nakamura designs for lingerers.

— Justin Davidson, Curbed, 1 Apr. 2026

Definition of lingerer

Noun

Beavis & Butthead Mike Judge created these two mush-mouthed slackers, who decades on remain among the cartoon characters most synonymous with ’90s malaise and slacker culture.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026
From there, Blair conceived Mark Southard and Davis Hench, two wildly different, aging slackers who are tasked with driving teenage scion Sheridan Kimberly to rehab on behalf of his disengaged billionaire parents.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of slacker

Noun

After a drone lands, the CLARKE system can analyze images without an internet connection, and teams can then send compact reports detailing building damage and road conditions, rather than huge image files.

— Zoë Schiffer, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2026
The Associated Press was granted exclusive access to the drone earlier this month, ahead of the final stage of testing.

— DEREK GATOPOULOS, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of drone

Noun

The live-by-the-slug, die-by-the-slug Dodgers have hit zero home runs in the NLCS.

— Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
These beneficial predators spend the winter under leaves, emerging in spring to feed on common garden pests such as aphids, slugs and mites.

— Manjot Kaur Sidhu, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of slug

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

shirked

shirker

shirkers

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“Shirker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shirker. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of shirker

noun

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