shirk

/ʃərk/

/ʃək/

Other forms: shirking; shirked; shirks

To shirk your responsibilities is to avoid dealing with them — like when you watch four consecutive hours of infomercials instead of facing your homework.

A verb is an action word, so it's ironic that the verb shirk suggests inaction in the avoidance of work. To shirk carries with it a negative connotation of laziness. When Eleanor Roosevelt was asked how she conquered her shyness to become a powerful public figure, she responded, "I faced each problem as it came along. . . . I never tried to shirk. I tried never to evade an issue. When I found I had something to do — I just did it." Ah, Eleanor, why can't we all be a bit more like you?

Definitions of shirk

1. verb

   avoid (one's assigned duties)
   “The derelict soldier shirked his duties”

   synonyms: fiddle, goldbrick, shrink from

   types:

   scrimshank

   British military language: avoid work

   malinger, skulk

   avoid responsibilities and duties, e.g., by pretending to be ill

   slack

   avoid responsibilities and work, be idle

   type of:

   avoid

   refrain from doing something
2. verb

   avoid dealing with
   “She shirks her duties”

   type of:

   avoid

   stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something