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noun

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slacker - A person who avoids work or effort

Chris was the ultimate slacker at work, asleep at his desk half the time.

verb

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defuse - To reduce the tension or danger in a difficult situation.

The mediator worked hard to defuse the conflict and tension between the two sides that were trying to negotiate an agreement.

verb

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evade - To escape or avoid something, especially by cleverness or trickery.

The thief managed to evade the police by hiding in an alley.

adjective

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stagnant - Showing no activity; dull and sluggish

In the last few decades, the income of the richest 10% has increased while that of the bottom 90% has remained stagnant.

noun

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laggard - A person who makes slow progress and falls behind others

Once the runners ahead of him were specks in the distance, Terry knew he was the laggard of the race.

verb

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dally - To do something slowly or too slowly; to waste time

Ike had dozens of reports to read through, but he decided to dally in the office for most of the day instead of doing his work.

adjective

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stranded - Unable to leave somewhere because of a problem such as not having any transportation or money

After the shipwreck, Arthur was stranded on the island for 2 years until the was discovered and brought back to civilisation.

noun

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impediment - Something that makes progress or movement difficult or impossible

Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing at 19 months old, but she overcame those impediments and went to Radcliffe and became a great author and speaker.

noun

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logjam - A situation where progress is halted due to a buildup of problems, delays, or obstacles.

The political negotiations reached a logjam when neither side was willing to compromise.

verb

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dawdle - To delay by taking more time than necessary

"Johnny!" his mother shouted, "we have to catch the train in 30 minutes, so would you please finish getting dressed and stop dawdling."

noun

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limbo - An uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution; an intermediate state or condition

Because Ian had so much trouble making decisions, he often felt stuck in limbo, unsure of which direction his decisions would be taking him.

noun

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backlog - A quantity of work that should have been done already, but has not yet been done

When Bill got back from his vacation, there was such a backlog of work to catch up with, that he had to work until 10pm every night for a week.