Learn English – Single word for delaying an unpleasant task

single-word-requestsword-choice

I'm looking for a single word that means delaying an unpleasant task, or perhaps delaying a task to the point in which delaying became unpleasant (or noticeably excessive).

Postponing is not a good word because it could simply mean rescheduling.

Delaying is also not a great term for what I'm looking for, since it doesn't imply anything necessarily unpleasant.

I think dragging has a similar vibe to what I'm looking for, but I can't use it since I haven't really started the task yet.

Best Answer

The verb procrastinate / noun procrastination is an almost exact fit:

procrastinate verb [ I ]

to keep delaying something that must be done, often because it is unpleasant or boring

[Cambridge English Dictionary]

Note that this means 'delay/ing an unpleasant task'; it takes no object (the 'unpleasant task' is implied).

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