Is there a word that means "relax", but with negative connotations?

Question

I'm looking for a word that means to "relax" but with negative connotations.

e.g.

Aloysius just ____ed in bed all morning while the rest of us were out working.

or

Badralbudur, fed up of _____ing on the couch, decided to train for a marathon.

Answer 1

Laze is the best verb here. It means:

to act or lie lazily : IDLE (M-W)

_{Idle could be another option}

Note that the negative connotation is strengthened by your context. Lazing and idling are not always used pejoratively.

Sometimes, adding around can render the tone more accusatory.

There is also vegetating

to be passive or unthinking; to do nothing:

• to lie on the beach and vegetate. (dict.com)

Answer 2

Loaf is a good fit here, meaning to aimlessly idle away one's time. It can stand alone as a verb, but is often paired with around in many phrases.

Answer 3

You can use slack off.

To be deliberately unproductive in one's work or study.

Answer 4

Lounge (or lounge about/around) is the most common verb that fits your both example sentences naturally, and that can have negative connotations. The intended sense of the verb is confined to the actions in your examples also: sitting, lying, reclining (and sometimes leaning). Although, it can be used in a more neutral sense depending on the context; but it is clear that it would mean lying or sitting (relaxing) lazily in your examples. The verb also has the sense to pass time indolently/lazily.

Note: The verbs lie and stay are more common, especially for the example with bed, but they are neutral verbs normally. However, the connotation can shift within a context. One can even say "He was in bed all day" with a negative tone, with just the verb be. Except, the question is asking for a verb that means 'relax' with negative connotations.

Collins provides both neutral and negative connotations of the verb lounge in one definition:

If you lounge somewhere, you sit or lie there in a relaxed or lazy way.

Cambridge definition of lounge around/about:

to spend your time in a relaxed way, sitting or lying somewhere and doing very little

Another related verb is sprawl, and Merriam-Webster defines as:

to lie or sit with arms and legs spread out

Answer 5

He lolled around in bed all morning.

Merriam Webster

to refrain from labor or exertion

Answer 6

I would probably just go with "lay". "Laid in the bed all day", "laying on the couch". I don't think there is a word that specifically fits your requirement, as all of the suggestions so far can be positive, neutral, or negative depending on context. (Lazing around and vegetating on the beach are perfectly fine and expected if one is on vacation!) But, anecdotally, whenever I hear any parents anywhere complaining about their teenaged children being lazy, it's always something like "He just lays in the bed all morning" or "she just lays on the couch playing with her phone".

I would suggest that it's more commonly used if the intention is a mildly negative connotation. (For definitely negative connotation, you'll need more than one word.)

Answer 7

I would say that they were slobbing around or just that they are “a slob”.

I like the Google OED definition best:

slob /slɒb/

verb INFORMAL•BRITISH gerund or present participle: slobbing

behave in a lazy and slovenly way.

"he spent his life watching television and generally slobbing around"

1 https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/slob

Answer 8

Some additional ideas:

'Wasting time' a very direct (and negative) term, used particularly when the person is supposed to be doing something else.

'Idling' - just very factual, describing the person not doing anything (no judgement necessarily).

'Goofing off' implies a level of immaturity or child-like quality

'Killing time' or 'passing time' both kind of insinuate not using the period of time for any purpose, but they're often used when a person doesn't have a choice- like in travel.

Answer 9

Not exactly matched with your examples ( and using this you should probably change the sentence formation), lackadaisical seems to be a right choice for that meaning.

As in M-W it means lacking life, spirit, or zest.

e.g. Teachers are impatient with lackadaisical students.

Answer 10

Suitable words for the context might be:

1. dossing,
2. bumming, or
3. festering.

Although the second one would have to be used with particular care to ensure only the connotation of vagrancy - you wouldn't necessarily want to say "he just bummed in bed all morning while the rest of us were out working".

Also, the first two would often be combined with around or about, and perhaps further suffixed with aimlessly for additional intensity of meaning. I can't think of any positive connotation to anyone who spends their time bumming about aimlessly.

Probably the best selection would be to say someone dossed on the couch, and festered in bed.

Answer 11

Back Off! is as negative as it comes.