indolent
Americanadjective
-
disliking work or effort; lazy; idle
-
pathol causing little pain
an indolent tumour
-
(esp of a painless ulcer) slow to heal
Related Words
See idle.
Other Word Forms
- indolence noun
- indolently adverb
Etymology
Origin of indolent
First recorded in 1655–65; from Latin indolent- (stem of indolēns ), equivalent to in- in- 3 + dolent- (stem of dolēns ), present participle of dolēre “to be painful, be in pain”; dole 2, -ent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But these roles are few and far between, remaining at a distance in favor of indolent stories that only echo the humor of Sandler’s earliest work.
From Salon • Jul. 27, 2025
He did at some point own a Lake Erie steamship, which may have confused those indolent researchers Allen and Rice.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 25, 2023
The truce idea was not born of naivete, but of desperation, in a country with over 110,000 disappeared and woefully indolent or over-worked police and forensics examiners.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 13, 2023
She was a would-be revolutionary, fired by a hatred of corruption and global injustice, who despaired at the indolent passivity of youth.
From BBC • Dec. 29, 2022
The marmalade cat prodded him with an indolent paw.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.