Malinger: Definition & Meaning for the SAT
⚡️ MALINGER most nearly means: (A) to criticize harshly; (B) to wander aimlessly; (C) to fake illness; (D) to speak badly of others. 👉 Answer + examples, pronunciation, and explanation inside.
📣 TL;DR: Malinger means to pretend to be sick to avoid work or duty. Mnemonic to remember: If you LINGER in bed with a MAL (bad) fake illness, you're malingering. A little more advanced: Malinger means to SHIRK WORK.
ℹ️ Part of Speech of Malinger
malinger is a VERB.
🗣️ Pronunciation of Malinger
malinger is pronounced /mə.ˈlɪŋɡ.ər/ or muh-LING-ger.
📚️ Definition of Malinger
To pretend to be ill or otherwise incapacitated in order to avoid duty or work; to feign sickness or injury to avoid responsibility. Example: a soldier who malingers to avoid combat duty.
📰 Examples of Malinger
Here are some examples of the word malinger:
When the mandatory overtime was announced, Jake decided to malinger, claiming he had caught an eight-hour flu that would affect him only during work hours.
The school nurse became overly-familiar with students attempting to malinger to avoid tests or certain classes.
The private was court-martialed for malingering after his commanding officer discovered he'd injured himself purposely to avoid duty.
✅ Quiz answer
Answer to the question above:
C, to fake illness. Explanations: A doesn't work; that would be lambaste or castigate. B could be meander or amble. D is the definition of malign or slander, so that's incorrect.