idle
Not being used appropriatelyNot being used appropriately; not occupied; (of time) with no, no important, or not much activity.
Recorded US: Dvortygirl, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
» I don't engage in idle speculation.
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
6 sensesNot being used appropriately; not occupied; (of time) with no, no important, or not much activity.
idle hours
My computer hibernates after it has been idle for 30 minutes.
ungenutzt, Mußezeit, Totzeit
Not engaged in any occupation or employment; unemployed; inactive; doing nothing in particular.
idle workmen
untätig, müßig
неза́нятыйnezánjatyj
Averse to work, labor or employment; lazy; slothful.
an idle fellow
faul, arbeitsscheu
лени́выйlenívyj
ліни́вийlinývyj, леда́чийledáčyj
Of no importance; useless; worthless; vain; trifling; thoughtless; silly.
an idle story; idle talk; idle rumor; idle threats; idle pleasures
nutzlos, müßig, überflüssig
(obsolete)Empty, vacant.
(obsolete)Light-headed; foolish.
- not in active use
- not in action or at work
- not having a job
- lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility
Examples
116 sentencesI don't engage in idle speculation.
An idle brain is the devil's workshop.
Tom is not an idle boy any longer.
ruТом больше не лентяй. — sharptoothed
deTom ist nicht länger ein untätiger Junge. — Espi
I regret having been idle in my youth.
The machines are idle now.
deDie Maschinen stehen jetzt still. — Espi
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 2
By meaning 4
Origin
From Middle English idel, ydel, from Old English īdel, from Proto-West Germanic *īdl, fromFrom Middle English idel, ydel, from Old English īdel, from Proto-West Germanic *īdl, from Proto-Germanic *īdlaz. Cognate with Dutch ijdel (“vain, meaningless”), ijl (“rareified, skinny”), iel (“thin, slender”); German Low German iedel (“vain, idle”); German eitel (“vain, conceited”); and possibly Old Norse illr ("bad"; > English ill).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
more idle, most idleSynonyms
178 synonyms- not in active use:unused
- not having a job:joblessout of work
- lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility:loose
- silly or trivial:light
- not yielding a return:dead
- without a basis in reason or fact:baselessgroundlessunfoundedunwarrantedwild
Antonyms
1 antonymsWord family
20 related wordsLessons for this word
2 lessons- A2Comparatives — Because it has a comparative form
- A2Superlatives — Because it has a superlative form
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.