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laggard

adjective
lag·​gard | \ ˈla-gərd How to pronounce laggard (audio) \

Definition of laggard

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: lagging or tending to lag : dilatory

laggard

noun

Definition of laggard (Entry 2 of 2)

: one that lags or lingers
Other Words from laggard Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about laggard

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Other Words from laggard

Adjective

laggardly adverb or adjective
laggardness noun

Examples of laggard in a Sentence

Adjective

 I hate being stuck behind laggard motorists on the freeway.

Noun

 The company has been a laggard in developing new products. tried to spur on the laggards at the back of the line during the hike
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

 Toll Brothers was among the laggards, dropping 4.3% a day after the luxury homebuilder reported a decline in orders for new homes. — Washington Post, "Solid earnings from major US retailers drive stocks higher," 21 Aug. 2019 Nine of 11 stock market sectors were positive, with real estate and utilities the only laggards. — Washington Post, "Dow surges 450 on news that U.S. will delay some tariffs," 13 Aug. 2019 Paramount, for one, has been a laggard in theatrical box-office share -- at 5% year to date, per Boxofficemojo.com. — Brian Lowry, CNN, "Viacom and CBS reunion likely marks first step into new frontier," 13 Aug. 2019 Acosta’s solicitude for those 21 laggards should be weighed against the fact that today’s federal minimum wage is close to a historical nadir for the U.S. — Michael Hiltzik, latimes.com, "A strong endorsement of the $15 minimum wage from the Congressional Budget Office," 9 July 2019 Bain calculated that almost 30% of the retail industry’s operating profits today are generated by the laggards. — Maria Halkias, Dallas News, "Pier 1 Imports gets buried in a crowded home furnishings market," 30 June 2019 And Dodge, another traditional quality laggard, came in eighth this year, ahead of both Lexus and Toyota. — NBC News, "Porsche, Kia top list of highest-quality cars, with Land Rover and Jaguar among the worst," 19 June 2019 America is often denounced as a laggard on climate change. — The Economist, "America is not such a laggard on climate change as it seems," 28 June 2019 The biggest laggards include fuel economy in cars and trucks, emissions from industrial processes, and advanced biofuels in transportation. — Fatih Birol For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, "The world needs to get serious about combatting carbon emissions," 27 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'laggard.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of laggard

Adjective

1702, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1705, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for laggard

laggard

noun

Financial Definition of laggard

What It Is

Laggard describes a stock that fails to perform as well as the overall market or a group of peers.

How It Works

In a broad sense, the term laggard connotes resistance to progress and a persistent pattern of falling behind. In a financial sense, a laggard may be a stock or other market-traded security that has historically underperformed on a consistent basis. For example, if biotechnology stock ABC consistently posts annual returns of only 2% when other stocks in the industry post average returns of 5%, stock ABC would be considered a laggard.

Why It Matters

If you hold them in your portfolio, laggards are generally the first candidates for selling. In the example above, holding a stock that returns 2% instead of one that returns 5% costs you 3% each year. Unless there is some solid reason to believe that a catalyst will lift shares of a stock that has historically lagged its competition, continuing to hold the laggard costs you money.

Source: Investing Answers

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