Slackness

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈslæknəs/

Definitions

1. The condition of being loose or not tightly held ; a state of reduced effort or diminished activity ; a tendency to neglect moral duties or standards
2. A lack of tension or firmness in an object or muscle ; a period of decreased work or energy ; failure to maintain strict ethical behavior or discipline
3. The quality of being less tight or rigid than usual ; a slowdown or decline in exertion or performance ; the characteristic of being morally careless or indulgent

Etymology: "Slackness" is a plain formation: the adjective "slack" with the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality or state. Middle English had "slacnesse" and "slakenes," and the root word goes back further still, to Old English "slæc," meaning slack, loose, or sluggish, with the matching noun "slæcnes" already in use then. So the word has been in English for a very long time, and its core sense of looseness or lack of tension has stayed remarkably steady. The adjective "slack" carried the same physical idea of loosened tightness that the noun still expresses. A rope that is slack hangs loose, and slackness describes that condition of looseness. Over the centuries the noun extended from literal looseness to figurative senses such as laxity or negligence in conduct, though the modern meaning "lack of firmness" keeps closest to the original physical image.

Synonyms: looseness, laxity

Antonyms: tightness, firmness