2
: deficient in firmness : not stringent
lax control
a lax foreman
security has been lax
3
a
: not tense, firm, or rigid : slack
a lax rope
b
: having an open or loose texture
a lax soil
c
: having the constituents spread apart
a lax flower cluster
4
: articulated with the muscles involved in a relatively relaxed state (such as the vowel \i\ in contrast with the vowel \ē\)
Synonyms
Examples of lax in a Sentence
Adjective
The university has been lax about enforcing these rules.
lax parents who let their kids stay out as late as they want
Recent Examples on the Web
Harri Weber, Popular Science, 8 May 2024
In 2002, the London Sunday Times sent an undercover journalist to the British Museum’s Department of Greece and Rome to pose as a work trainee; the security was so lax that the reporter was able to smuggle an ancient Greek statue of a foot out of the gallery and past guards without being caught.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 6 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for lax 
Adjective
On Golem Grad, a lake island in North Macedonia, Dice snakes under threat from birds play dead by going rigid or lax, smearing poop and musk on themselves, and even bleeding from their mouths.
—Harri Weber, Popular Science, 8 May 2024
In 2002, the London Sunday Times sent an undercover journalist to the British Museum’s Department of Greece and Rome to pose as a work trainee; the security was so lax that the reporter was able to smuggle an ancient Greek statue of a foot out of the gallery and past guards without being caught.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 6 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for lax
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lax.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near lax
Cite this Entry
“Lax.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lax. Accessed 19 May. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
lax
adjective1
of the bowels
: loose sense 3
2
: having loose bowels
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