lax

Not careful or strict enough about rules, duties, or behaviour.

• Security at the building is lax.
• His parents were lax about bedtime.
• The company was criticized for its lax safety standards.

How to use it: lax about something (They are lax about checking tickets.); lax with someone (The teacher was lax with the younger children.)

Similar words: careless, lenient, slack

Opposites: strict, careful

Common phrases: lax security, lax about something, lax with someone, lax rules

Describes a speech sound made with relatively relaxed muscles and little narrowing inside the mouth and throat.

• This word contains a lax vowel.
• The students compared tense and lax vowels.
• Her tongue was more relaxed when producing the lax sound.

Similar words: slack

Opposites: tense

Common phrases: lax vowel, lax sound, lax pronunciation

Loose or relaxed rather than pulled tight.

• The rope hung lax between the posts.
• Her muscles were lax after the warm bath.
• He tightened the lax cord around the bundle.

Similar words: loose, slack

Opposites: tight, taut

Common phrases: lax rope, lax muscles, lax cord