dally

The word “dally” has 2 syllables: dal-ly

It's pronounced as /ˈdæli/


What is synonym and antonym for dally?

In the thesaurus, “dally” has 121 synonyms and 68 antonyms.

Here are synonyms and antonyms for dally along with examples of usage in sentences.


Synonyms for dally

  • aestivate
  • amble
  • amuse
  • boondoggle
  • bum
  • cavort
  • chill
  • coquet
  • coquette
  • court
  • crawl
  • creep
  • dabble
  • dawdle
  • decelerate
  • delay
  • delight
  • diddle
  • dillydally
  • disport
  • divert
  • doze
  • drag
  • drone
  • drop behind
  • ease
  • entertain
  • estivate
  • fall behind
  • filibuster
  • flirt
  • fool
  • fool around
  • fool with
  • footle
  • frisk
  • fritter away
  • frivol
  • frolic
  • furlough
  • gambol
  • goldbrick
  • hang
  • hang about
  • hang fire
  • hibernate
  • horse around
  • idle
  • inch
  • jerk off
  • jest
  • joke
  • josh
  • kick around
  • kick back
  • kid
  • kill time
  • lag
  • lallygag
  • laze
  • lazy
  • lead on
  • linger
  • loaf
  • loiter
  • loll
  • lollygag
  • lounge
  • lumber
  • malinger
  • manipulate
  • mark time
  • mash
  • mess
  • mess around
  • monkey
  • mope
  • mosey
  • muck
  • piddle
  • play
  • play around
  • play games with
  • please
  • plod
  • poke
  • procrastinate
  • put off
  • put on
  • putter
  • razz
  • recreate
  • relax
  • rest
  • rib
  • rollick
  • romp
  • saunter
  • screw around
  • shilly-shally
  • shuffle
  • skylark
  • sport
  • stagger
  • stall
  • string along
  • stroll
  • swan
  • tarry
  • tease
  • temporize
  • toy
  • trail
  • trifle
  • trifle with
  • truant
  • vamp
  • veg out
  • waste time
  • while away
  • woo

Antonyms for dally

  • accelerate
  • apply
  • barrel
  • bolt
  • bowl
  • breeze
  • career
  • catch up
  • complete
  • course
  • dart
  • dash
  • drudge
  • exert
  • fast-forward
  • finish
  • fly
  • gallop
  • go
  • grind
  • grub
  • hasten
  • hump
  • hurry
  • hurtle
  • hustle
  • jog
  • labor
  • leave
  • moil
  • outpace
  • outrun
  • outstrip
  • overtake
  • peg
  • plod
  • plow
  • plug
  • push
  • put out
  • quicken
  • race
  • rip
  • rocket
  • run
  • rush
  • scoot
  • scramble
  • scud
  • scurry
  • slave
  • speed
  • sprint
  • stampede
  • strain
  • strive
  • struggle
  • sweat
  • tear
  • toil
  • travail
  • trot
  • whirl
  • whisk
  • whiz
  • whizz
  • work
  • zip

Meanings of dally

  • verb
    1. To waste time in trivial activities, or in idleness; to trifle.
    2. To caress, especially of a sexual nature; to fondle or pet.
    3. To delay unnecessarily; to while away.
    4. To wind the lasso rope (ie throw-rope) around the saddle horn (the saddle horn is attached to the pommel of a western style saddle) after the roping of an animal.
  • noun
    1. Several wraps of rope around the saddle horn, used to stop animals in roping.

Example Sentences

  • The cat loves to dally with the feathers from its favorite toy.
  • Don't dally too long, we have a tight schedule to keep.
  • As the sun sets, couples often dally by the waterfront, enjoying the view.
  • She warned him not to dally and finish his chores promptly.
  • The chef doesn't like to dally in the kitchen, every dish is prepared with precision and speed.

On this page you'll find 189 synonyms, antonyms, or another words to dally, such as: accelerate, aestivate, amble, amuse, apply, barrel, bolt.

Make sure to choose synonyms and antonyms that are appropriate for the context of the sentence.

Related Words

abide

  • absorb
  • accept
  • acknowledge
  • acquiesce
  • allow
  • anticipate
  • await
  • be big about
  • bear
  • bear with
  • bide
  • brook
  • bunk
  • bunk out
  • capitulate
  • carry through
  • cohabit
  • concede
  • consent
  • continue
  • countenance
  • crash
  • dally
  • dawdle
  • defer
  • dwell
  • endure
  • expect
  • frequent
  • go
  • hack
  • handle
  • hang around
  • hang in
  • hang in there
  • hang on
  • hang out
  • hang tough
  • haunt
  • hold on
  • hold up
  • inhabit
  • keep on
  • keep up
  • last
  • lease
  • linger
  • live
  • live with
  • lodge
  • loiter
  • meet
  • nest
  • occupy
  • outstay
  • overstay
  • pause
  • people
  • perch
  • perdure
  • permit
  • persevere
  • persist
  • pocket
  • populate
  • prevail
  • put up with
  • receive
  • remain
  • rent
  • reside
  • respect
  • rest
  • room
  • roost
  • run on
  • settle
  • sit tight
  • sojourn
  • squat
  • stand
  • stand for
  • stay
  • stick around
  • stick out
  • stomach
  • stop
  • sublet
  • suffer
  • support
  • survive
  • sustain
  • swallow
  • sweat out
  • take
  • tarry
  • tenant
  • tolerate
  • tough it out
  • visit
  • wait
  • wear
  • withstand

dabble

  • amuse
  • amuse oneself with
  • be amateur
  • cavort
  • dally
  • dawdle
  • delight
  • dilly-dally
  • disport
  • divert
  • entertain
  • fiddle with
  • flirt with
  • frisk
  • frolic
  • gambol
  • goldbrick
  • hang
  • hang about
  • horse around
  • idle
  • jest
  • joke
  • kid around
  • loaf
  • mess around
  • monkey
  • monkey around
  • muck around
  • not be serious
  • play
  • play around
  • play games with
  • please
  • recreate
  • relax
  • rest
  • rollick
  • romp
  • screw around
  • skylark
  • sport
  • tease
  • toy
  • toy with
  • trifle
  • trifle with
  • work superficially

dabbling

  • amateurish
  • amusing
  • antic
  • artsy fartsy
  • bare
  • cavorting
  • coltish
  • coy
  • crude
  • cut short
  • dallying
  • dawdling
  • defective
  • deficient
  • delay
  • delaying
  • delightful
  • delighting
  • devilish
  • dilettante
  • dilly-dallying
  • disporting
  • diverting
  • elfish
  • energetic
  • enjoyable
  • entertaining
  • faulty
  • fay
  • formless
  • found wanting
  • fragmentary
  • frisking
  • frisky
  • frittering
  • frivoling
  • frivolous
  • frolic
  • frolicking
  • frolicsome
  • fun
  • gamboling
  • gambolling
  • gay
  • goldbricking
  • goofy
  • green
  • half-baked
  • half-cocked
  • half-done
  • hanging
  • hanging about
  • happy
  • idling
  • immature
  • imperfect
  • impish
  • in the making
  • in the rough
  • incomplete
  • jesting
  • jocose
  • jocular
  • jocund
  • joking
  • kittenish
  • knavish
  • lacking
  • larky
  • lighthearted
  • lively
  • loafing
  • loitering
  • merry
  • messing around
  • mischievous
  • natural
  • not done
  • pixie
  • pixy
  • plain
  • playful
  • playing
  • pleasant
  • pleasing
  • pleasurable
  • poking
  • prankish
  • procrastinating
  • procrastination
  • puttering
  • rascally
  • raw
  • recreating
  • relaxing
  • resting
  • roguish
  • rollicking
  • romping
  • rookie
  • rough
  • roughhewn
  • screwing around
  • shapeless
  • silly
  • sketchy
  • skylarking
  • spirited
  • sportful
  • sporting
  • sportive
  • sprightly
  • spunky
  • teasing
  • tenderfoot
  • tentative
  • toying
  • trifling
  • unaccomplished
  • unadorned
  • unassembled
  • uncompleted
  • unconcluded
  • under construction
  • undeveloped
  • undone
  • unexecuted
  • unfashioned
  • unfulfilled
  • ungifted
  • unperfected
  • unpolished
  • unrefined
  • unskilled
  • vivacious
  • wanting
  • whimsical

dalliance

  • a little on the side
  • affair
  • amorous play
  • amusement
  • binge
  • buffoonery
  • carrying-on
  • dabbling
  • delay
  • delaying
  • delight
  • devilment
  • devilry
  • deviltry
  • dilly-dallying
  • diversion
  • enjoyment
  • entertainment
  • fling
  • fooling around
  • friskiness
  • frittering
  • frivoling
  • frolic
  • frolicking
  • fun
  • fun and games
  • gamboling
  • gambolling
  • hanky-panky
  • high jinks
  • hijinks
  • hilarity
  • hob
  • hobby
  • hobbyhorse
  • horseplay
  • idling
  • impishness
  • jinks
  • kick
  • knavery
  • lark
  • loafing
  • loitering
  • merriment
  • merrymaking
  • messing around
  • mischief
  • mischievousness
  • pastime
  • play
  • playfulness
  • playing
  • pleasance
  • pleasure
  • poking
  • procrastinating
  • procrastination
  • puttering
  • rascality
  • recreation
  • relationship
  • relaxation
  • revel
  • revelry
  • roguishness
  • rollick
  • rollicking
  • romping
  • seduction
  • sport
  • sportiveness
  • spree
  • tomfoolery
  • toying
  • trifling
  • waggery
  • wantonness
  • whoopee
  • working late at office

dallying

  • amorous
  • apathetic
  • bumming
  • careless
  • chilling
  • coquetting
  • crawling
  • dawdling
  • delaying
  • dillydallying
  • dragging
  • droning
  • dull
  • flirting
  • footling
  • frolicking
  • goldbricking
  • idling
  • inattentive
  • indifferent
  • lackadaisical
  • lazing
  • lazying
  • leisurely
  • lethargic
  • levity
  • lingering
  • loafing
  • lolling
  • lounging
  • messing
  • mucking
  • passive
  • playing
  • poking
  • relaxing
  • resting
  • sleepy
  • slow
  • strolling
  • tired
  • toying
  • weary

Browse the Thesaurus