Malingering

Pronunciation: /məˈlɪŋərɪŋ/

Definitions of malingering

noun the act of pretending to be sick or injured in order to avoid work or duty

Example Sentences

A1 Malingering is pretending to be sick to avoid work or responsibilities.

A2 The doctor suspected the patient of malingering when their symptoms didn't match their test results.

B1 Malingering can sometimes be difficult to detect, as the individual may fake symptoms convincingly.

B2 In legal cases, malingering can be used as a defense strategy to avoid punishment.

C1 The psychologist specialized in detecting malingering in forensic evaluations.

C2 The expert witness testified that the defendant was malingering to avoid facing the consequences of their actions.

Examples of malingering in a Sentence

formal The doctor suspected that the patient was malingering in order to avoid work.

informal I think he's just malingering to get out of doing his chores.

slang She's always malingering to get out of going to school.

figurative His excuses for not attending the meeting were just a form of malingering.

Grammatical Forms of malingering

• past tense: malingered
• plural: malingerers
• comparative: more malingering
• superlative: most malingering
• present tense: malinger
• future tense: will malinger
• perfect tense: have malingered
• continuous tense: is malingering
• singular: malingerer
• positive degree: malingering
• infinitive: to malinger
• gerund: malingering
• participle: malingered

Origin and Evolution of malingering

First Known Use: 1824 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'malingering' originated from the Latin word 'malingere' which means 'to pretend illness'.

Evolution of the word: Originally used to describe feigning illness or injury to avoid work or duty, the meaning of 'malingering' has evolved to encompass any deliberate exaggeration or fabrication of symptoms for personal gain or to avoid responsibilities.