cras-, crastin-

1. To put off until another day or time to accomplish something which really should be done: Shanna was procrastinating and not getting her assignment done for her class and the teacher would have given her a failing grade if she had procrastinated one more day.
2. To delay doing something until another time because a person doesn't want to do it or simply can't complete it: There are those who procrastinate doing exercises and put themselves in danger of having a less than desirable physical condition.

There are some people who procrastinate because they have so much to achieve that it is impossible to complete everything at the same time!

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A reference to an action which has been put off until some other time, if it will ever be done: "As a procrastinated person, Fern admitted that she feels that there is nothing easier than not being able to find time to do the things that she doesn't want to do."

A reference to putting off an obligation, or responsibility, until some undetermined tomorrow: "Sean procrastinatingly admits that he can't take now for an answer and that he has a wait problem."

1. The act of putting off, delaying, or deferring an action to a later time: "Procrastination involves a situation requiring a task that may be perceived as overwhelming, difficult, tedious, or boring."

"For some people, procrastinations are unenjoyable and therefore, stressful."
2. The consequence of not getting around to doing something: "Procrastination is said to take place because a person is disorganized or not very dutiful (careful to fulfill obligations), and is probably an uncontrollable psychological condition."

"Procrastination or task aversion is an irrational delay of an intended course of action, even while expecting a situation to be worse off for the delay."

"Procrastination is usually caused by the association of pain or discomfort with the prospective course of action; that is, some form of stress. This may be physical; such as, that experienced during hard labor or vigorous exercise, or psychological; such as, a form of frustration or anxiety."

3. Etymology: from Latin procrastinatus: pro-, "forward" and crastinus, "tomorrow".

The result of not getting something completed: "Gerold was accused of being a procrastinative worker when he was given certain assignments."

A description of delaying the completion of something until a future time: "Susanne's procrastinatively habitually slowness in providing information for clients resulted in her losing her job."

The postponement of the completion of some action until a future time; if at all: "Jesse was asked to come up with a series of synonyms for the term procrastinativeness and his list of verbal forms includes the following: prolong, put off, suspend, put aside, put on ice, put in cold storage, put on a back burner, hold in abeyance, vacillate, hesitate, dillydally, and neglect."

Someone who puts off doing something until some other time (if at all); a delayer, a postponer, a malingerer, a shirker, and an evader: As a procrastinator, Mike deviates from the task, usually in favor of doing another more enjoyable activity.

A procrastinator is a person who puts off until tomorrow the things that he or she has already put off until today.

Although the following cartoon refers to a verb, it helps to illustrate the meaning of this noun entry.

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Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
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A reference to dawdling, deferring, suspending, protracting, or prolonging an action: "Rosetta's procrastinatory habits made it extremely difficult for her to find a job."

Art of taking a long time to start to begin to get ready to commence: procrastination quotes.