idle

[ ahyd-l ]

See synonyms for: idle idled idler idles on Thesaurus.com

adjective,i·dler, i·dlest.

not working or active; unemployed; doing nothing: idle workers.
not spent or filled with activity: idle hours.

not in use or operation; not kept busy: idle machinery.
habitually doing nothing or avoiding work; lazy.
of no real worth, importance, or significance: idle talk.
having no basis or reason; baseless; groundless: idle fears.
frivolous; vain: idle pleasures.
meaningless; senseless: idle threats.
futile; unavailing: idle rage.

verb (used without object),i·dled, i·dling.

to pass time doing nothing.
to move, loiter, or saunter aimlessly: to idle along the avenue.

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

verb (used with object),i·dled, i·dling.

to pass (time) doing nothing (often followed by away): to idle away the afternoon.
to cause (a person) to be idle: The strike idled many workers.

to cause (a machine, engine, or mechanism) to idle: I waited in the car while idling the engine.

noun

the state or quality of being idle.
the state of a machine, engine, or mechanism that is idling: a cold engine that stalls at idle.

Origin of idle

First recorded before 900, and in 1915–20 for def. 12; Middle English, Old English īdel (adjective) “empty, trifling, vain, useless”; cognate with German eitel

synonym study For idle

1. 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. 11. See loiter.

word story For idle

The English adjective idle comes from Old English īdel, originally meaning “empty” and also “useless, worthless.” The sense (used of people) “unemployed, out of work” dates from the 10th century. The rather harsher meaning “avoiding work, lazy, indolent” dates from the 14th century.
One of the senses of the verb idle, “to spend one’s time doing nothing,” dates from the 17th century and is first recorded in Samuel Pepys’ Diary.
The mechanical sense, used of a motor or engine disengaged from its load and operating at a low speed, dates from the 20th century.

Other words for idle

1	sluggish
5	worthless, trivial, trifling
7	wasteful
13	waste

See synonyms for idle on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for idle

1	busy, industrious
5	important, worthwhile

See antonyms for idle on Thesaurus.com

Other words from idle

i·dle·ness, noun
i·dly, adverb
o·ver·i·dle, adjective
o·ver·i·dle·ness, noun
un·i·dle, adjective
un·i·dling, adjective

Words that may be confused with idle

idle , idol, idyll

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use idle in a sentence

Speaking of special touches, I was sad to see the piano idle midweek but cheered to hear it’s played on Fridays and Saturdays.
A reopened Marcel’s reminds me that fine dining, especially now, is about more than food | Tom Sietsema | November 6, 2020 | Washington Post
These strategies leave the battery "idle" for portions of the day—for comparison, imagine purchasing a taxi but only running it in the mornings.
To make batteries a better investment, let them do more | Scott K. Johnson | November 5, 2020 | Ars Technica
Computers, TVs and other electronics generate a lot of heat when sitting idle or even when turned off.
Changing climates can take cooling tips from warm regions | Sharon Oosthoek | October 8, 2020 | Science News For Students
The app aims to give users controls to designate when they’re heads-down, need to talk or just open for some idle chitchat.
Remotion raises $13M to create a workplace video platform for short, spontaneous conversations | Lucas Matney | October 6, 2020 | TechCrunch
By definition this meant lower returns—because banks had to leave some capital idle rather than deploy it.
Econ 3.0? What economists can contribute to (and learn from) the pandemic | Claire Beatty | September 28, 2020 | MIT Technology Review

The former politicians offer a variety of reasons for idling their campaign riches instead of giving them away.
Ex-Politicians Keeping $100 Million in Private Slush Funds | Dave Levinthal, Center for Public Integrity | May 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I walked behind the idling swing and gave it a gentle puff of a push.
When An Adopted Child Won’t Attach | Tina Traster | May 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But a lot of that time is spent idling—waiting for a call, or in between jobs.
Stop Whining About Uber’s Surge Pricing | Daniel Gross | December 16, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
On Sept. 5, Saad Al-Hilli, 50, his wife, Iqbal, 47, and her mother, Suhaila Al-Allaf, 74, were found dead in their idling BMW.
Plot Thickens in Grisly French Alps Murders | Barbie Latza Nadeau | October 29, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The car, with United Kingdom license plates, was idling and locked from the inside.
Young Girl May Hold Key to Grisly Alps Murders | Barbie Latza Nadeau, Tracy McNicoll | September 12, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
A big gray sedan stood in the middle of the road, the motor idling.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942 | Various
With a half-smile he rose, and going to the door he bade his page who was idling in the anteroom go summon the captain.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
When he ought to have been in school, he was fishing, and idling away his time along the margins of the brooks and rivers.
Charles Duran | The Author of The Waldos
The next day I pleaded indisposition and spent most of the hours idling and drowsing in my chamber.
Tiger Cat | David H. Keller
The next morning the wicked sister, as she sat idling by the stove, took a fancy for some strawberries.
Laboulaye's Fairy Book | Various

British Dictionary definitions for idle

idle

/ (ˈaɪdəl) /

adjective

unemployed or unoccupied; inactive
not operating or being used

(of money) not being used to earn interest or dividends
not wanting to work; lazy
(usually prenominal) frivolous or trivial: idle pleasures
ineffective or powerless; fruitless; vain
without basis; unfounded

verb

(when tr, often foll by away) to waste or pass (time) fruitlessly or inactively: he idled the hours away
(intr) to loiter or move aimlessly

(intr) (of a shaft, engine, etc) to turn without doing useful work
(intr) (of an engine) to run at low speed with the transmission disengaged: Also (Brit): tick over
(tr) US and Canadian to cause to be inactive or unemployed

Origin of idle

Old English īdel; compare Old High German ītal empty, vain

Derived forms of idle

idleness, noun
idly, adverb

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

Browse