Dallying — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb adjective noun /ˈda-lē/ dal·ly

Meaning & Definition of Dallying

Dallying (verb)

  1. to act playfully; especially, to play amorously
  2. to deal lightly, toy
  3. to waste time
  4. to do or think about (something) in a way that is not serious
  5. to have a casual romantic or sexual relationship with (someone)

Dallying (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed

    "the dallying diners seemed oblivious to the fact that other customers were impatiently waiting for tables"

    similar: crawling, creeping, dawdling, dilatory, dillydallying, dragging, laggard, lagging, languid, leisurely, poking, poky, slow, sluggish, snail-paced, snaillike, tardy, unhurried
    related: deliberate, measured, inactive, inert, lethargic, loafing, lounging, lingering, loitering, tarrying, ambling, heavy-footed, inching, plodding, shuffling, slow-footed, strolling, decelerating, slowing, filibustering, procrastinating, stalling
    opposite: barreling, bolting, breakneck, breathless, brisk, careering, dizzy, fast, fleet, flying, hasty, hurrying, lightning, meteoric, quick, racing, rapid, rocketing, running, rushing, scooting, scudding, scurrying, snappy, speeding, speedy, swift, warp-speed, whirling, whirlwind, whisking, zipping
    near: expeditious, prompt, ready, accelerated, hastened, quickened, hurried, rushed

Dallying (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in lounging, loafing

    similar: goldbricking, loafing, lolling, lounging, apathy, languor, lassitude, lethargy, listlessness, sluggishness, supineness, idleness, indolence, inertia, laziness, shiftlessness, sloth
    opposite: drive, industriousness, industry, ambition, enterprise, go, hustle, initiative, assiduity, assiduousness, diligence, perseverance, animation, briskness, energy, exuberance, jazziness, liveliness, lustiness, pep, peppiness, robustness, sprightliness, vibrancy, vigor, vim, vitality, vivacity

Dallying (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to engage in activity for amusement

    "he spent his college years dallying, seemingly determined to acquire as little knowledge as possible"

    similar: disporting, frolicking, playing, recreating, rollicking, skylarking, sporting, toying
    related: cavorting, frisking, gamboling, romping, dabbling, trifling, amusing, diverting, entertaining, delighting, pleasing, fiddling (around), messing around, puttering (around), bumming (around), dawdling, goldbricking, hanging, hanging about (British), idling, loafing, lounging (around or about), relaxing, resting, screwing around, slacking (off), jesting, joking, teasing
    near: drudging, laboring, plodding, plugging (away), slaving, straining, striving, struggling, sweating, toiling, working

  2. to move or act slowly

    "don't dally on the way to the interview"

    similar: crawling, creeping, dawdling, delaying, diddling, dillydallying, dragging, lagging, lingering, loitering, lollygagging, moping, poking, shilly-shallying, tarrying, dragging one's feet, dropping behind, falling behind, hanging fire, marking time, taking one's time
    related: fiddling (around), fooling around, messing around, monkeying (around), playing, pottering (around), puttering (around), trifling, hanging (around or out), idling, loafing, lolling, lounging, ambling, easing, inching, lumbering, plodding, sauntering, shuffling, staggering, strolling, decelerating, slowing (down or up), filibustering, procrastinating, stalling, temporizing
    opposite: barreling, bolting, careering, coursing, dashing, flying, hastening, hotfooting (it), hurrying, racing, ripping, rocketing, running, rushing, scooting, scudding, scurrying, speeding, tearing, whirling, whisking, whizzing, zipping
    near: bowling, breezing, darting, humping, hurtling, hustling, scrambling, stampeding, galloping, jogging, running, sprinting, trotting, accelerating, quickening, speeding (up), catching up, fast-forwarding, outpacing, outrunning, outstripping, overtaking

  3. to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun

    "she spent the summer dallying with a guy renting the neighboring beach house"

    similar: coquetting, flirting, frivoling, messing around, toying, trifling
    related: vamping, courting, mashing, wooing, joshing, kidding, putting on, razzing, ribbing, teasing, fooling, leading on, stringing along, manipulating, playing (with)

  4. to spend time doing nothing

    "I kept dallying at my desk until I couldn't put off doing my work any longer"

    similar: bumming, chilling, dawdling, dillydallying, droning, footling, goofing (off), hacking (around), hanging about (British), hanging (around or out), idling, kicking around, kicking back, lazing, lazying, loafing, lolling, lounging, vegging out, killing time, twiddling one's thumbs
    related: fiddling (around), fooling, messing, monkeying, mucking, piddling, playing, pottering (around), puttering (around), trifling, dozing, estivating, hibernating, lagging, lingering, loitering, poking, relaxing, resting, tarrying, ambling, moseying, sauntering, strolling, swanning, furloughing, goldbricking, malingering, truanting
    near: drudging, grinding, grubbing, humping, hustling, laboring, moiling, pegging, plodding, plowing, plugging, slaving, sweating, toiling, travailing, working, applying, buckling (down), exerting, putting out

Related Entry: Dally (verb)

Dally is a different word from Dallying. The synonyms below are for dally, not for dallying.

  1. to engage in activity for amusement

    "he spent his college years dallying, seemingly determined to acquire as little knowledge as possible"

    similar: disport, frolic, play, recreate, rollick, skylark, sport, toy
    related: cavort, frisk, gambol, romp, dabble, trifle, amuse, divert, entertain, delight, please, fiddle (around), mess around, putter (around), bum (around), dawdle, goldbrick, hang, hang about (British), idle, loaf, lounge (around or about), relax, rest, screw around, slack (off), jest, joke, tease
    near: drudge, labor, plod, plug (away), slave, strain, strive, struggle, sweat, toil, work

  2. to move or act slowly

    "don't dally on the way to the interview"

    similar: crawl, creep, dawdle, delay, diddle, dillydally, drag, lag, linger, loiter, lollygag, mope, poke, shilly-shally, tarry, drag one's feet, drop behind, fall behind, hang fire, mark time, take one's time
    related: fiddle (around), fool around, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle, hang (around or out), idle, loaf, loll, lounge, amble, ease, inch, lumber, plod, saunter, shuffle, stagger, stroll, decelerate, slow (down or up), filibuster, procrastinate, stall, temporize
    opposite: barrel, bolt, career, course, dash, fly, hasten, hotfoot (it), hurry, race, rip, rocket, run, rush, scoot, scud, scurry, speed, tear, whirl, whisk, whiz, zip
    near: bowl, breeze, dart, hump, hurtle, hustle, scramble, stampede, gallop, jog, run, sprint, trot, accelerate, quicken, speed (up), catch up, fast-forward, outpace, outrun, outstrip, overtake

  3. to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun

    "she spent the summer dallying with a guy renting the neighboring beach house"

    similar: coquet, flirt, frivol, mess around, toy, trifle
    related: vamp, court, mash, woo, josh, kid, put on, razz, rib, tease, fool, lead on, string along, manipulate, play (with)

  4. to spend time doing nothing

    "I kept dallying at my desk until I couldn't put off doing my work any longer"

    similar: bum, chill, dawdle, dillydally, drone, footle, goof (off), hack (around), hang (around or out), hang about (British), idle, kick around, kick back, laze, lazy, loaf, loll, lounge, veg out, kill time, twiddle one's thumbs
    related: fiddle (around), fool, mess, monkey, muck, piddle, play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle, doze, estivate, hibernate, lag, linger, loiter, poke, relax, rest, tarry, amble, mosey, saunter, stroll, swan, furlough, goldbrick, malinger, truant
    near: drudge, grind, grub, hump, hustle, labor, moil, peg, plod, plow, plug, slave, sweat, toil, travail, work, apply, buckle (down), exert, put out

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Dallying

The most common words with a similar meaning to Dallying:

British: hanging about
crawling, creeping, dawdling, dilatory, dillydallying, dragging, laggard, lagging, languid, leisurely, poking, poky, slow, sluggish, snail-paced, snaillike, tardy, unhurried, goldbricking, loafing, lolling, lounging, apathy, languor, lassitude, lethargy, listlessness, sluggishness, supineness, idleness, indolence, inertia, laziness, shiftlessness, sloth, disporting, frolicking, playing, recreating, rollicking

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Dallying

Words with the opposite meaning of Dallying:

barreling, bolting, breakneck, breathless, brisk, careering, dizzy, fast, fleet, flying, hasty, hurrying, lightning, meteoric, quick, racing, rapid, rocketing, running, rushing, scooting, scudding, scurrying, snappy, speeding, speedy, swift, warp-speed, whirling, whirlwind

Related Words for Dallying

deliberate, measured, inactive, inert, lethargic, ambling, heavy-footed, inching, plodding, shuffling, slow-footed, strolling, decelerating, slowing, filibustering, procrastinating, stalling, cavorting, frisking, gamboling, romping, dabbling, amusing, diverting, entertaining, delighting, pleasing, fiddling (around), puttering (around), bumming (around)

Near Antonyms of Dallying

expeditious, prompt, ready, accelerated, hastened, quickened, hurried, rushed, drudging, laboring, plodding, plugging (away), slaving, straining, striving, struggling, sweating, toiling, working, bowling, breezing, darting, humping, hurtling, hustling, scrambling, stampeding, galloping, jogging, sprinting

Word Forms of Dallying

Inflections: dallied, dallied with, dallying with, dallies with

Derived words: dallier (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Dallying

Middle English dalyen, from Anglo-French dalier

First known use: 15th century

Frequently Asked Questions about Dallying

What does "Dallying" mean?

"Dallying" means to act playfully; especially, to play amorously. As an a verb, an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: to act playfully; especially, to play amorously. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Dallying"?

Other words for "Dallying" include crawling, creeping, dawdling, dilatory, dillydallying, dragging, laggard and lagging. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Dallying" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Dallying"?

There are 152 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Dallying". Common alternatives include crawling, creeping, dawdling, dilatory, dillydallying, dragging, laggard, lagging, languid and leisurely.

What is the opposite of "Dallying"?

Antonyms of "Dallying" include barreling, bolting, breakneck, breathless, brisk, careering, dizzy and fast. Near antonyms include expeditious, prompt, ready and accelerated.

How do you use "Dallying" in a sentence?

Examples of "Dallying" in a sentence: "the dallying diners seemed oblivious to the fact that other customers were impatiently waiting for tables"; "he spent his college years dallying, seemingly determined to acquire as little knowledge as possible"; "don't dally on the way to the interview".

Is "Dallying" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Dallying" can be used as a verb, an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Dallying"?

"Dallying" is pronounced /ˈda-lē/ and divided into syllables as dal·ly.

What is the origin of the word "Dallying"?

"Dallying" comes from Middle English dalyen, from Anglo-French dalier. First known use: 15th century.