Trivia Time

Which group did H.G. Wells describe as "indolent" in his science fiction novel The Time Machine?

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indolent

American  

[in-dl-uhnt] / ˈɪn dl ənt /

adjective

1. 

   having or showing a disposition to avoid exertion; slothful.

   an indolent person.

   Synonyms:

   torpid, sluggish, inactive, slow

2. Pathology. causing little or no pain; inactive or relatively benign.

   an indolent ulcer that is not painful and is slow to heal.

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indolent British  

/ ˈɪndələnt /

adjective

1. disliking work or effort; lazy; idle

2. pathol causing little pain

   an indolent tumour

3. (esp of a painless ulcer) slow to heal

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Synonym Usage

See idle.

Other Word Forms

• indolence
  noun
• indolently
  adverb

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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”; see dole ², -ent

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Explanation

Indolent is an adjective meaning slow or lazy. It can take an indolent teenager hours to get out of bed on a weekend morning. Often it's noon before he finally comes shuffling down to breakfast in his pajamas. An indolent person is slow and lazy — not the type of person you'd want running your corporation or competing with you in a relay race. Doctors use the word indolent to describe medical conditions that are slow to progress. If you're diagnosed with an illness, you'd prefer an indolent one over one that spreads quickly.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

indolent

Alice Lockey is lady’s maid to the earl’s daughter, the spoiled, indolent and surprisingly grubby Lady Jemima Alderwick.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

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

Another woman with the same mutation might develop an indolent variant; and yet another might not develop breast cancer at all.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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