l adjective
1.
not working or active; unemployed; doing nothing: idle workers.
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.
6.
having no basis or reason; baseless; groundless: idle fears.
7.
frivolous; vain: idle pleasures.
8.
meaningless; senseless: idle threats.
9.
futile; unavailing: idle rage.
verb (used without object)
10.
to pass time doing nothing.
11.
to move, loiter, or saunter aimlessly: to idle along the avenue.
12.
(of a machine, engine, or mechanism) to operate at a low speed, disengaged from the load.
00:10
Idle
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
| to bark; yelp. |
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
verb (used with object)
13.
to pass (time) doing nothing (often followed by away ): to idle away the afternoon.
14.
to cause (a person) to be idle: The strike idled many workers.
15.
to cause (a machine, engine, or mechanism) to idle: I waited in the car while idling the engine.
noun
16.
the state or quality of being idle.
17.
the state of a machine, engine, or mechanism that is idling: a cold engine that stalls at idle.
Origin:
before 900; 1915–20 for def 12; Middle English, Old English īdel (adj.) empty, trifling, vain, useless; cognate with German eitel
before 900; 1915–20 for def 12; Middle English, Old English īdel (adj.) empty, trifling, vain, useless; cognate with German eitel
Related forms
i·dle·ness, noun
i·dly, adverb
o·ver·i·dle, adjective
o·ver·i·dle·ness, noun
o·ver·i·dly, adverb
Synonyms
1. sluggish. 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. 5. worthless, trivial, trifling. 7. wasteful. 11. See loiter. 13. waste.
1. sluggish. 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. 5. worthless, trivial, trifling. 7. wasteful. 11. See loiter. 13. waste.
Antonyms
1. busy, industrious. 5. important, worthwhile.
1. busy, industrious. 5. important, worthwhile.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To idle
Collins
World English Dictionary
idle (ˈaɪdəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 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 |
| —vb (when tr, | |
| 8. | to waste or pass (time) fruitlessly or inactively: he idled the hours away |
| 9. | (intr) to loiter or move aimlessly |
| 10. | (intr) (of a shaft, engine, etc) to turn without doing useful work |
| 11. | (intr) Also (Brit): tick over (of an engine) to run at low speed with the transmission disengaged |
| 12. | (US), (Canadian) (tr) to cause to be inactive or unemployed |
| [Old English īdel; compare Old High German ītal empty, vain] | |
| 'idleness | |
| —n | |
| 'idly | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
idle
O.E. idel "empty, void, useless," common W.Gmc. (cf. O.S. idal, O.Fris. idel "empty, worthless," O.Du. idil, Ger. eitel "vain, useless, mere, pure"), of unknown origin. Idle threats preserves original sense; meaning "lazy" is c.1300. The verb sense of "running slowly and steadily without transmitting
power" (as a motor) first recorded 1916.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
Engine idling has been attacked, too, because an hour of idle can eat up a gallon of diesel fuel.
Economies need oil and it is idle to suppose otherwise.
They spoke as if coming back were something in lieu of accomplishment, something for idle, unoccupied people.
Many drivers do not make the connection between idle time, increased emissions, and wasted fuel.
Nearby Words
Synonyms
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