Standard Lemma guide

lither

adj · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈlɪðə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈlɪðɚ/
  • rhymes with -ɪðə(ɹ)
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈlaɪðə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈlaɪðɚ/

1

adj

Meaning 1

Lazy, slothful; listless.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, archaic, dialectal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bone-idle, fainéant, idle, indolent, inert, lackadaisical, lazy, lither, otiose, slothful, sluggish, swear, torpid, work-shy

Antonyms: abuzz, active, agile, airy, alive, animate, animated, brisk, busy, busy as a bee, buxom, buzzing, diligent, driven, driving, dynamic, eager, effervescent, energetic, enthusiastic, expeditious, frisky, gay, genki, glowing, happy, hearty, impetuous, industrious, keen, kinetic, lively, merry, mobile, motivated, moving, nimble, peppy, perky, restive, sassy, snappy, spirited, sprightly, sprunt, spry, vibrant, vigorous, vivacious, vivid, wanton, youthful, zealous, zestful, zippy

2

adj

Meaning 2

Flexible, supple; also, agile, lithe.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, archaic, dialectal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Bad, evil; false.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

In poor physical condition.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

comparative form of lithe: more lithe

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: comparative, form-of

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English lither, lyther (“deceitful; evil; false; treacherous; sinful, wicked; leading to cruelty, injustice, or wickedness, perverted; of a country: filled with wicked people; cruel, fierce; dangerous, deadly; frightening; grievous, painful; harmful, injurious; miserable, paltry, poor, worthless; feeble, sluggish; cowardly”) [and other forms], from Old English lȳþre (“bad, wicked; base, mean, wretched; corrupt”) [and other forms], from Proto-Germanic *lūþrijaz (“bad; dissolute; neglected; useless”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lew- (“limp, slack”). Sense 1.2 (“flexible, supple; agile, lithe”) is influenced by lithe. Cognates Dutch lodder (“wanton person”), loddering (“drowsy; trifling; wanton”) German liederlich (“dissolute”), German lotterig (“slovenly”), lüderlich (“slovenly”) Old English loþrung (“delusion, rubbish, nonsense”), loddere (“beggar”)

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.