1.
to postpone; to put off; to procrastinate
To delay dealing with something by pushing it further into the future, often implying that the delay is undesirable or irresponsible.
宿題を先延ばしにする。
To put off doing homework.
決断を先延ばしにしてはいけない。
You must not put off making a decision.
問題を先延ばしにしても、解決にはならない。
Putting off problems won't solve them.
嫌なことはつい先延ばしにしてしまう。
I tend to procrastinate on things I don't want to do.
A very common everyday expression for postponing or procrastinating. Carries a negative connotation — the delay is typically seen as avoidance rather than a strategic decision. The noun form 先延ばし is also widely used on its own.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 〜を先延ばしにする: to put off (something)
- 先延ばしにしない: not to procrastinate
- 先延ばしにされる: to be postponed
- 先延ばし癖: habit of procrastinating
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 先送りにする: to defer, to postpone — similar meaning but more formal and often used in political or business contexts
- 延期する: to postpone — neutral, official; used for scheduled events
- 後回しにする: to put something off until later — similar nuance of avoidance
- 引き延ばす: to drag out, to prolong — focuses on stretching a process rather than delaying a start
REGISTER:
Neutral to casual. Used in both spoken and written Japanese. Slightly more colloquial than 延期する.