What does procrastinated mean?
Procrastinated is the past tense of procrastinate, meaning to delay or postpone an intended action. The word is especially common when someone repeatedly puts off work, study, writing, or another obligation despite intending to complete it. Its use often carries a mildly disapproving or self-critical connotation, although it can also describe delay without assigning blame. “He procrastinated before sending the application” suggests that sending it was expected but put off. In a less accusatory context, “They procrastinated the decision until more evidence was available” may indicate a deliberate deferral rather than habitual avoidance. The word derives from the Latin procrastinare, literally “to defer until tomorrow,” and it remains a useful term for describing a familiar gap between intention and action. It should not be used merely to mean that an event was delayed by circumstances entirely outside a person’s control.
verbDelayed doing something that one intends or is expected to do, often until a later time.
- To delay or postpone an intended action, especially by failing to act at the appropriate time.
"He procrastinated for weeks before finally submitting his application."
"She procrastinated on writing the letter until the deadline was almost upon her."
"Rather than procrastinate, he scheduled the work and completed it in small stages."
To procrastinate is literally to postpone something until tomorrow—the word’s Latin ancestor meant “defer to the coming day.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does procrastinated come from?
The word comes from Latin procrastinare, formed from pro-, meaning “forward,” and crastinus, meaning “of or relating to tomorrow.” Its original sense was “to postpone until tomorrow,” and it was later used more generally for delay or postponement. English borrowed the term in the 16th century, initially in medical contexts, before it acquired its familiar sense of intentionally putting off an intended action.
Related word forms
How procrastinated is actually used
The term is commonly used in a mildly disapproving or self-critical way. It can refer to deliberate postponement, but it is also applied more broadly to repeated delay caused by inattention, poor planning, or avoidance.
Easily confused with procrastinated
Procrastination is a delay in doing something one intends to do, whereas hesitation may involve uncertainty, indecision, or a brief pause without an intention to complete the action.