Definition

A person who pretends to be ill or injured in order to avoid work or responsibility.

Example

The manager suspected that he was a malingerer, always finding excuses to miss work.

Conversation

Did you hear about Kevin? I think he’s just a big malingerer at work.

Really? I thought he was actually sick last week.

No way! He always finds excuses to avoid his responsibilities.

That’s true, he does seem to take a lot of days off.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Malingerer → It is formed from "malinger" (from French *malingrer*, meaning to feign illness) and the suffix "-er" (meaning a person who). A malingerer is a person who feigns illness to avoid duty or work.

Memory Tip

Think of someone who is pretending to be sick ('malingrer') — the '-er' just means a person. A malingerer is someone who pretends to avoid responsibility.

Visually Confused Words