What does shirk mean?
Shirk is a formal verb meaning to avoid or neglect a duty, responsibility, or task that one is expected to perform. It is commonly used when describing someone who avoids work, ignores obligations, or tries to pass responsibility to others. The word carries a strongly disapproving connotation and implies deliberate evasion rather than a legitimate inability or temporary circumstance. Typical expressions include shirk one's responsibilities, shirk duties, and shirk work. In literary and legal contexts, it can emphasize the morally questionable nature of avoiding an obligation. Although shirk can also be used in less formal speech, it is more typical of writing concerned with ethics, workplace conduct, politics, or social responsibility than of casual conversation.
verbTo avoid or neglect a duty, responsibility, or task that one is expected to perform.
- To avoid doing something that one is obliged or expected to do, especially work, a duty, or a responsibility.
"Rather than shirk his responsibilities, he accepted the assignment and did the work thoroughly."
"Employees who shirk their duties may face disciplinary action."
"The novel examines the ways in which people shirk responsibility for their own mistakes."
To shirk is to turn avoidance into a strategy.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does shirk come from?
The precise origin of shirk is uncertain. The word was already established in Middle English and developed the modern sense of avoiding duty or responsibility from earlier uses connected with shrinking back or drawing away, although its exact historical development is not fully clear.
Related word forms
How shirk is actually used
Generally formal and disapproving. It often suggests that someone avoids a duty through laziness, neglect, or deliberate evasion rather than through a legitimate reason.
Easily confused with shirk
Shirk means to avoid a duty or responsibility, whereas shave means to remove hair or reduce something slightly.