leniwy
/lɛˈɲi.vɘ/
The Polish word for "lazy" is leniwy.
leniwy is an adjective used to describe someone or something that is unwilling to work.
Meaning: unwilling to work (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the adjective changes based on the gender and number of the noun it describes. Use leniwa for feminine nouns, leniwe for neuter nouns and leniwi for masculine personal plural (groups of men or mixed-gender groups). The noun form for the concept of "laziness" is lenistwo.
How do you pronounce it?
/lɛˈɲi.vɘ/. It has 3 syllables, and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- The word leniwy can describe food, such as leniwe pierogi, which are 'lazy dumplings' because they omit the traditional step of rolling out the dough.
- In some Polish contexts, describing a 'lazy' person as leniwa dusza (a lazy soul) is a common idiomatic way to soften the criticism.
- A person who is extremely lazy might be called a nierób, which literally translates to 'a non-worker'.
Examples in context
- Fred to leniwy gość.Fred is a lazy fellow.This sentence shows how to use leniwy to describe a fellow.Tatoeba #579976 by Bilberry, translation #34073 by CN
- Tom jest leniwym uczniem.Tom is a lazy student.This sentence demonstrates how the word changes to leniwym when used in a specific grammatical context to describe a student.Tatoeba #6602926 by princes21, translation #3409098 by CK
- Cóż to za leniwy nauczyciel!What a lazy teacher!This sentence illustrates the use of leniwy in an exclamation about a teacher.Tatoeba #368929 by zipangu, translation #24881 by CK
- Marcin jest bardzo leniwy.Marcin is very lazy.
- Marcin to taki leniuch!Marcin is such a lazy person!
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Anna and Piotr are discussing their roommate at home.
- AnnaNasz nowy współlokator jest strasznie leniwy.Our new roommate is terribly lazy.
- PiotrTak, on w ogóle nie sprząta.Yes, he doesn't clean at all.
- AnnaTo jest bardzo leniwy facet.He is a very lazy guy.
- PiotrMusimy z nim porozmawiać.We need to talk to him.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lazy” translations and entries leniwy, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
