lax

(redirected from laxest)
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia.

lax

loose or slack; not firm; not strict; negligent: lax in enforcing the rules
Not to be confused with:
lacks – does not have something that is needed: The safe lacks a lock.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

LAX

abbr.
lacrosse

lax

 (lăks)
adj. lax·er, lax·est
1. Lacking in rigor, strictness, or firmness. See Synonyms at negligent.
2. Not taut, firm, or compact; slack. See Synonyms at loose.
3. Loose and not easily retained or controlled. Used of bowel movements.
4. Linguistics Pronounced with the muscles of the tongue and jaw relatively relaxed, as the vowel (ĕ) in let.

[Middle English, from Latin laxus, loose, lax; see slēg- in Indo-European roots.]

lax·a′tion n.
lax′ly adv.
lax′ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

lax

(læks)
adj
1. lacking firmness; not strict
2. lacking precision or definition
3. not taut
4. (Phonetics & Phonology) phonetics (of a speech sound) pronounced with little muscular effort and consequently having relatively imprecise accuracy of articulation and little temporal duration. In English the vowel i in bit is lax
5. (Botany) (of flower clusters) having loosely arranged parts
[C14 (originally used with reference to the bowels): from Latin laxus loose]
ˈlaxly adv
ˈlaxity, ˈlaxness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

lax

(læks)

adj. -er, -est.
1. not strict or severe; negligent: lax morals.
2. loose or slack: a lax rope.
3. not rigidly exact or precise; vague: lax ideas.
4. loose, open, or not retentive, as the bowels.
5. having the bowels loose or open.
6. open or not compact; having a loosely cohering structure; porous: lax texture.
7. (of a vowel) articulated with relatively relaxed tongue muscles. Compare tense 1 (def. 4).
[1350–1400; Middle English < Latin laxus loose, slack, wide]
lax′ly, adv.
lax′ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.lax - lacking in rigor or strictness; "such lax and slipshod ways are no longer acceptable"; "lax in attending classes"; "slack in maintaining discipline"
negligent - characterized by neglect and undue lack of concern; "negligent parents"; "negligent of detail"; "negligent in his correspondence"
2.lax - pronounced with muscles of the tongue and jaw relatively relaxed (e.g., the vowel sound in `bet')
phonetics - the branch of acoustics concerned with speech processes including its production and perception and acoustic analysis
tense - pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in `beat')
3.lax - lacking in strength or firmness or resilience; "a lax rope"; "a limp handshake"
loose - not tight; not closely constrained or constricted or constricting; "loose clothing"; "the large shoes were very loose"
tense - taut or rigid; stretched tight; "tense piano strings"
4.lax - emptying easily or excessively; "loose bowels"
unconstipated, regular - not constipated
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

lax

adjective
1. slack, casual, careless, sloppy (informal), easy-going, negligent, lenient, slapdash, neglectful, slipshod, remiss, easy-peasy (slang), overindulgent One of the problems is lax security for airport personnel.
slack severe, disciplined, strict, stern, rigid, stringent, conscientious, scrupulous, heedful
2. loose, soft, yielding, slack, flabby, flaccid exercises to improve lax muscles
loose firm, rigid
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

lax

adjective
2. Guilty of neglect; lacking due care or concern:
3. Not tautly bound, held, or fastened:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
غَيْر صارِم، مُتَراخٍ
nedbalý
slap
lässigungespannt
kærulaus; léttúîugur
nepakankamai griežtas
izlaidīgsnevīžīgspaviršsvaļīgs
laxný
kayıtsızumursamaz

lax

[læks] ADJ (laxer (compar) (laxest (superl))) (pej) [person, discipline] → poco estricto, poco riguroso; [standards, morals] → laxo, relajado
things are very lax at the schoolen el colegio hay poca disciplina
to be lax about or on punctualityser negligente en la puntualidad
to be morally laxtener una moral laxa or relajada
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

lax

[ˈlæks] adj [security, standards] → relâché(e)
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

lax

adj (+er)
lax; disciplinelasch, lax; moralslocker, lose; she is rather lax in her relations with mensie hat ein recht lockeres Verhältnis zu Männern; to be lax about somethingetw vernachlässigen; he’s lax about washing/imposing disciplineer nimmts mit dem Waschen/der Disziplin nicht so genau; I’ve been rather lax about replying to your lettersich habe mir mit der Beantwortung Ihrer Briefe reichlich viel Zeit gelassen; things are very lax at the schoolin der Schule geht es sehr lax or undiszipliniert zu
lax bowelsdünner Stuhl(gang)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

lax

[læks] adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl))) (conduct) → lassista; (person, careless) → negligente; (on discipline) → permissivo/a
to be lax about punctuality → non tenere or badare alla puntualità
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

lax

(lӕks) adjective
careless or not strict in discipline or morals. Pupils have been rather lax about some of the school rules recently.
ˈlaxity noun
ˈlaxness noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

lax

a. laxo-a, suelto-a, relajado-a.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

lax

adj laxo, flojo
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in periodicals archive ?
Germany has the laxest laws when it comes to fireworks in Europe, with the only limitations extending to igniting pyrotechnics in large crowds and near churches, hospitals, and thatched-roof buildings, (http://fortune.com/2018/12/30/germany-struggles-to-rein-in-its-new-years-eve-firework-frenzy/) Fortune reported.&nbsp;
The laxest remedy model that could be afforded to computer owners whose boundaries have been crossed, but whose information is not protected as property, is essentially no remedy at all.