Nuance Dictionary / Grammar
설렁설렁 seolleong-seolleong
Doing something with just enough casual effort to scrape by, devoid of real passion or intensity.
What does 설렁설렁 mean?
설렁설렁 (seolleong-seolleong) means: Doing something with just enough casual effort to scrape by, devoid of real passion or intensity.
When natives reach for 설렁설렁, they aren't talking about being lazy to the point of collapse; they're describing that breezy, half-awake state where your body is going through the motions while your brain is entirely checked out. Textbooks often mischaracterize it as simply 'slowly' or 'carelessly,' missing the crucial social vibe: it implies a deliberate withholding of sweat and tears. It signals a self-aware, low-stakes approach to a task where you refuse to stress yourself out, even if the result is thoroughly mediocre.
Other sides of 설렁설렁
◆ Light Exercise & Stretching — Textbooks love to reduce 설렁설렁 to 'half-heartedly,' ignoring how natives use it to describe a guilt-free, breezy approach to physical movement. When you go for a slow evening walk just to get some air or do some lazy stretches in your pajamas, you are doing it 설렁설렁. It signals a complete absence of hustle culture—you are moving for the sheer comfort of it, not for gains.
◆ Cool Breezy Comfort — Textbooks teach you that 설렁설렁 means lazy and useless, but natives know it’s often the secret to staying sane in a high-pressure culture. When you drop the rigid intensity and just glide through the afternoon with your shoulders dropped and your mind unclenched, you are operating in this zone. It isn't about being incompetent; it's the art of letting the stiff, suffocating air out of the room so you can actually breathe.
◆ Cool Breezy Comfort — Textbooks teach you that 설렁설렁 means lazy and useless, but natives know it’s often the secret to staying sane in a high-pressure culture. When you drop the rigid intensity and just glide through the afternoon with your shoulders dropped and your mind unclenched, you are operating in this zone. It isn't about being incompetent; it's the art of letting the stiff, suffocating air out of the room so you can actually breathe.
How it's actually used
- 요즘 회사일이 너무 지겨워서 그냥 설렁설렁 하고 있어요.
yo-jeum hoe-sa-ir-i neo-mu ji-gyeo-wseo geu-nyang seolleong-seolleong ha-go iss-eo-yo.
Work has been so boring lately that I'm just coasting through it with minimal effort.
💡 Reveals how the word captures a survival tactic against burnout at a boring job. - 시험 코앞인데 왜 이렇게 설렁설렁 공부해?
si-heom ko-ap-in-de wae i-reo-ke seolleong-seolleong gong-bu-hae?
The exam is right around the corner, why are you studying so half-heartedly?
💡 Shows the slightly exasperated tone a friend takes when you refuse to panic. - 운동은 원래 설렁설렁 해야 오래 할 수 있어.
un-dong-eun won-rae seolleong-seolleong hae-ya o-rae hal su is-seo.
You can only stick to working out long-term if you don't take it too seriously from the start.
💡 Demonstrates the word used positively as a philosophy for avoiding overexertion.
Related words in Grammar
우왕좌왕 Uwang-jwawang격조사 gyeok-jo-sa보조사 bo-jo-sa주제 (화제) ju-je (hwa-je)대비 dae-bi