resting on one's laurels
Savoring past glory
Resting on one's laurels is being satisfied with past achievements rather than striving for new ones.
The phrase suggests complacency—someone who won recognition and now coasts on that reputation: After winning the championship, the team rested on its laurels and failed to make the playoffs the next year.
From the laurel wreaths awarded to ancient Greek victors.
- accomplishmentSuccessful completion of aim
- apathyAbsence of feeling
- declineDecrease or refuse
- idlenessState of doing nothing
- inertiaResistance to altered motion
lost momentum · accolade · has-been · taking it easy · playing it safe · stagnation · mediocrity · early retirement · passivity · neglect · obsolescence · laziness · irrelevance · failure · regret · complacent · criticism · self-satisfaction
resting on one's laurelshustling
Hurrying or swindling
grinding · doubling down · raising the bar · continuous improvement · going the extra mile
resting on one's laurelsstarting from scratch
rests, rested, resting, restful, restless, restlessly, restlessness, laurel, laurels