Timewasters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals or activities that consume a person's time without providing meaningful or productive outcomes ; things or people that cause delay or distract from important tasks ; entities or actions that lead to inefficient use of time and reduced productivity
2. Persons or pursuits that occupy time unprofitably or without value ; factors that lead to wasted hours or hinder progress ; anything that causes time to be spent away from significant or constructive endeavours
3. Agents or habits that draw away portions of time without purpose or gain ; contributors to procrastination or diversion from goals ; circumstances or characters responsible for consuming time ineffectively or frivolously

Etymology: "Timewaster" is a compound of "time" and "waster," and the word's history is essentially that of its two parts. "Time" comes from Old English "tīma," and "waster" is an agent noun from "waste," which came into English through Old French from Latin "vastare," meaning to lay waste or devastate. A waster was originally someone who squandered or spent carelessly, and the compound "timewaster" describes a person or activity that wastes someone else's time. "Timewasters" is simply the plural of "timewaster," so it refers to more than one such person or thing. The plural follows the regular English pattern of adding "-s" to the noun.

Synonyms: procrastinators, idlers, dawdler, loafers

Antonyms: efficient workers, productive people