Layabout almost direly wasted (5)
I believe the answer is:
idler
'layabout' is the definition.
('idler' can be a synonym of 'layabout')
'almost direly wasted' is the wordplay.
'almost' means to remove the last letter (most of the word but not all of it).
'wasted' indicates anagramming the letters.
'direly' with its last letter removed is 'direl'.
'direl' with letters rearranged gives 'IDLER'.
(Other definitions for idler that I've seen before include "comparatively slack" , "One avoiding work" , "Lollard" , "A lazy loafer" , "Lazy type" .)