tembel
/temˈbel/
The Turkish word for lazy, meaning unwilling to work, is tembel.
tembel is the most common and neutral term for lazy. It describes people, and you can put it in front of a noun, as in Tembel çocuk, lazy boy.
Meaning: unwilling to work (adj)
Which one should you use?
İsteksiz stresses a lack of willingness or enthusiasm rather than laziness itself. Rahatına düşkün is an indirect way to call someone lazy, saying they are too fond of their own comfort.
How does it change in a sentence?
Like other Turkish adjectives, tembel does not change for gender or number. It comes before the noun it describes.
How do you pronounce it?
tembel is pronounced /temˈbel/, with the stress on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- Turkish uses the word tembel to name the sloth, calling it a tembel hayvan which means 'lazy animal'.
- To describe the act of being lazy, Turkish speakers use the phrase tembellik etmek, which literally means 'to do laziness'.
- The word tembel is an uninvited guest from Persian, having entered the Turkish language during the Ottoman era.
Examples in context
- O adam çok tembel.That guy is so lazy.çok tembel means very lazy, about that guy.Tatoeba #13223635 by deyta, translation #13223435 by rul
- Bu adam çok tembel!This guy is so lazy!çok tembel again, this time about this guy.Tatoeba #3433304 by deyta, translation #2163110 by MethodGT
- Tom ve Mary tembel.Tom and Mary are lazy.tembel stays the same for two people, Tom and Mary.Tatoeba #6911417 by duran, translation #6910056 by CK
- Oğlu tembel.His son is lazy.
- O tembel çocuk okula gitmek istemiyor.That lazy boy doesn't want to go to school.
- O rahatına düşkün, hiçbir şey yapmaz.He is lazy and doesn't do anything.
- Bugün çok tembelim.I'm so lazy today.
- 223 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mehmet and Merve are talking about a roommate at home.
- MehmetO çok tembel bir adam.He is a very lazy man.
- MerveEvet, bütün gün uyuyor.Yes, he sleeps all day.
- MehmetMerve, ona tembel olduğunu söylemeliyiz.Merve, we should tell him he is lazy.
- MerveHaklısın, çok yardım etmiyor.You are right, he doesn't help much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lazy” translations and entries tembel, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tembel, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
