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View synonyms for

idle

[ ahyd-l ]

adjective

idler, idlest.
  1. not working or active; unemployed; doing nothing:

    idle workers.

    Synonyms:

    Antonyms: ,

  2. not spent or filled with activity:

    idle hours.

  3. not in use or operation; not kept busy:

    idle machinery.

  4. habitually doing nothing or avoiding work; lazy.
  5. of no real worth, importance, or significance:

    idle talk.

    Synonyms: , ,

    Antonyms: ,

  6. having no basis or reason; baseless; groundless:

    idle fears.

  7. frivolous; vain:

    idle pleasures.

    Synonyms:

  8. meaningless; senseless:

    idle threats.

  9. futile; unavailing:

    idle rage.



verb (used without object)

idled, idling.
  1. to pass time doing nothing.
  2. to move, loiter, or saunter aimlessly:

    to idle along the avenue.

  3. (of a machine, engine, or mechanism) to operate at a low speed, disengaged from the load.

verb (used with object)

idled, idling.
  1. to pass (time) doing nothing (often followed by away ):

    to idle away the afternoon.

    Synonyms:

  2. to cause (a person) to be idle:

    The strike idled many workers.

  3. to cause (a machine, engine, or mechanism) to idle:

    I waited in the car while idling the engine.

noun

  1. the state or quality of being idle.
  2. the state of a machine, engine, or mechanism that is idling:

    a cold engine that stalls at idle.

idle

/ ˈɪə /

adjective

  1. unemployed or unoccupied; inactive
  2. not operating or being used
  3. (of money) not being used to earn interest or dividends
  4. not wanting to work; lazy
  5. usually prenominal frivolous or trivial

    idle pleasures

  6. ineffective or powerless; fruitless; vain
  7. without basis; unfounded
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. whentr, often foll by away to waste or pass (time) fruitlessly or inactively

    he idled the hours away

  2. intr to loiter or move aimlessly
  3. intr (of a shaft, engine, etc) to turn without doing useful work
  4. intr (of an engine) to run at low speed with the transmission disengaged Also (Brit)tick over
  5. tr to cause to be inactive or unemployed
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈ, adverb
  • ˈԱ, noun
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Other yvlog Forms

  • ··Ա noun
  • · adverb
  • ··· adjective
  • o·ver···Ա noun
  • ܲ·· adjective
  • ܲ··Բ adjective
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of idle1

First recorded before 900, and in 1915–20 idle fordef 12; Middle English, Old English ī (adjective) “empty, trifling, vain, useless”; cognate with German eitel
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of idle1

Old English ī; compare Old High German īٲ empty, vain
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Synonym Study

Idle, indolent, lazy, slothful apply to a person who is not active. To be idle is to be inactive or not working at a job. The word is sometimes derogatory, but not always, since one may be relaxing temporarily or may be idle through necessity: pleasantly idle on a vacation; to be idle because one is unemployed or because supplies are lacking. The indolent person is naturally disposed to avoid exertion: indolent and slow in movement; an indolent and contented fisherman. The lazy person is averse to exertion or work, and especially to continued application; the word is usually derogatory: too lazy to earn a living; incurably lazy. Slothful denotes a reprehensible unwillingness to carry one's share of the burden: so slothful as to be a burden on others. See loiter.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

For now the cottages stand idle by the glass-walled motel office and its rakishly tilted roof.

From

In particular, one of the three towers that has been idle for more than 50 years but somehow reenergized the day the fire began, has been a center of attention.

From

We want dialogue, but we will not sit idle if we are attacked.

From

It once had a coffee shop, but that space is now idle.

From

This is a selfish way to glide through life, and it also describes the dominant philosophy of the idle rich, especially when the ruling class goes on vacation with their princes and princesses in tow.

From

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