This word came into English from Middle English lither, lyther (“deceitful; evil; false; treacherous; sinful, wicked; leading to cruelty, injustice, or wickedness, perverted; of a country: filled with wicked people; cruel, fierce; dangerous, deadly; frightening; grievous, painful; harmful, injurious; miserable, paltry, poor, worthless; feeble, sluggish; cowardly”) [and other forms], which developed from Old English lȳþre (“bad, wicked; base, mean, wretched; corrupt”) [and other forms], itself from Proto-Germanic *lūþrijaz (“bad; dissolute; neglected; useless”), going back to Proto-Indo-European *(s)lew- (“limp, slack”). Sense 1.2 (“flexible, supple; agile, lithe”) was shaped by the influence of lithe. It is a cognate of Dutch lodder (“wanton person”) and loddering (“drowsy; trifling; wanton”), German liederlich (“dissolute”), lotterig (“slovenly”) and lüderlich (“slovenly”), and Old English loþrung (“delusion, rubbish, nonsense”) and loddere (“beggar”).

Antonyms

active busy diligent

Related words

act active fighting fit operating busy quiet engaged

Rhymes for lither

zither hither either wither thither whither neither slither

See all rhymes for lither →

Frequently asked questions

What is the meaning of lither?

"lither" (adj) means (archaic) Lazy and unwilling to make an effort.

What is the opposite of lither?

Opposites of "lither" include active, busy, diligent.

What are the different meanings of lither?

"lither" has 3 main meanings: 1. (archaic) Lazy and unwilling to make an effort; 2. (archaic) Able to bend and move easily; supple; 3. (archaic) Wicked or dishonest.

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act active fighting fit operating busy quiet engaged