malinger
verb·/məˈlɪŋ.ɡɚ/
Feign or exaggerate illness to avoid duty, labor, or obligation. Malinger implies deceit, time stolen under the disguise of weakness.
He wasn’t sick enough to stay home, but he malingered anyway, letting the day disappear behind drawn curtains.
Etymology
From French malingre “sickly,” likely from mal “bad” + a Germanic element meaning “thin, weak.” English turned an adjective for frailty into a verb for pretense: weakness repurposed as strategy.
Related Words
shirkavoid duty; broader and less medical
feignpretend; the general mechanism
hypochondriahealth anxiety; different motive, often misapplied
skiveinformal “avoid work”; cultural cousin