idle
Other forms: idled; idlest; idles
Something idle is not active. If your car is idling, it's running but not moving. If someone calls you idle, it either means they think you don't have enough to do or that you're just plain lazy.
Idle can also mean having no value or purpose: idle rumors are rumors that people make up when they're bored, but have no grounding in fact. As a verb, idle can also refer to a car engine that is running while the vehicle is not moving. The adjective descends from Middle English idel, from Old English īdel "empty."
-
not in action or at work“an idle laborer”“idle drifters”“the idle rich”“an idle mind”synonyms:lackadaisicalidle or indolent especially in a dreamy wayleisuredfree from duties or responsibilitiesunengagednot busy or occupied; freeunemployednot engaged in a gainful occupationantonyms:busyactively or fully engaged or occupiedat workon the joboverbusytoo busytied upkept occupied or engagedup tobusy or occupied withdiligentcharacterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasksemployedhaving your services engaged for; or having a job especially one that pays wages or a salary
-
not having a job
-
not in active use
-
be idle; exist in a changeless situationantonyms:workexert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessitytypes:bum, bum about, bum around, frig around, loaf, loll, loll around, lounge about, lounge around, waste one's timebe lazy or idle
-
run disconnected or idle
-
the state of an engine or other mechanism that is idling“the car engine was running at idle”type of:operationthe state of being in effect or being operative
-
without a basis in reason or fact“idle fears”synonyms: baseless, groundless, unfounded, unwarranted, wildunsupportednot sustained or maintained by nonmaterial aid
-
lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility
-
silly or trivial
-
not yielding a return
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Vocabulary lists containing idle
Words that sound the same but are spelled differently (a type of homonym) can be stumbling blocks in comprehension or when trying to communicate something in writing. If you know that there's "peek" "peak" and "pique," which one do you use to describe what your character did at the window? If you use the wrong one, then your character has reached the heights (peak) or is having a fit if anger (pique) by the window. Is that what you mean? Is the character simply looking through that window (peek)? As you can see, all these words sound the same but suggest very different things. Here are 32 vocabulary words that are often confused.
Summer is a season for fun activities, but set aside some time for just chilling, maybe with a book, indoors or out. This list will give you all the words you need to master the art of doing nothing.
This list covers some of the basic words in Shakespeare's play about the assassination of the titular Roman ruler. You can find our lists covering more difficult words here. Here are links to our lists for the play: Act I, Act II, Act III, Act IV, and Act V Here are links to our lists for other plays by William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Hamlet, King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream