English Explanatory Dictionary

Bunburying

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Avoiding one's duties and responsibilities by claiming to have appointments to see a fictitious person.

Word forms

Bunburying

Etymology

From Bunbury + -ing, coined by Oscar Wilde in The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) after Bunbury, the fictitious disabled friend of the character Algernon whose supposed illness is used as an excuse to avoid social engagements.

Related words

Bunbury Bunburyist
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