Laid-back means relaxed and calm. It describes a person who doesn't rush or worry about small things, or a place or atmosphere with no hurry and no strict rules. Unlike lazy, it isn't a criticism: it's about being calm, not about not wanting to work. The word is informal but neutral, and it works in IELTS Speaking.
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laid-back + person/place/atmosphere; be laid-back about + noun/-ing; a laid-back approach/style; too laid-back (criticism)
- Our new teacher is really laid-back, but everyone still does their homework.
- We stayed in a laid-back seaside town where nobody seemed to be in a hurry.
- My parents were pretty laid-back about bedtime when we were on holiday.
What changed
First versionMy boss is quite laid-back to small mistakes.
RevisionMy boss is quite laid-back about small mistakes.
It's easy to reach for to here, as in be kind to someone. But laid-back, like relaxed, takes about: laid-back about mistakes, laid-back about money. Only the preposition changes.
With too, the praise becomes a complaint about being careless: He's too laid-back about deadlines, we always finish at the last minute. The similar easy-going stresses that someone is easy to get along with, while laid-back says they don't rush or worry.
Your turn
I love working with Sara: even when the client changes everything at the last minute, she stays ___.
Show the answer
laid-back — Sara doesn't get stressed when the client changes everything, and she's nice to work with: that's calmness, laid-back. Lazy means not wanting to work; there's nothing about that here, and it wouldn't be a compliment.
Describe a calm person you know: a boss, a teacher or a relative. Say what they're especially relaxed about.
My uncle is very laid-back about money: he never checks prices, but somehow he always has enough for holidays.
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