noun · countable / uncountable · rare

idleness

idle·ness

idleness · idlenesses

простой, безделье, праздность, леность

Untätigkeit, Stillstand, Faulheit, Müßiggang

The state of being idleThe state of being idle; inactivity.

ⓘ

/ˈaɪdəlnəs/

» Work is preferable to idleness.

Arbeit ist dem Müßiggang vorzuziehen.

Meaning

3 senses

(countable, uncountable)The state of being idle; inactivity.
Untätigkeit, Stillstand, Müßiggang
просто́йprostój, безде́льеbezdélʹje
(countable, uncountable)The state of being indolent; indolence.
Trägheit, Arbeitsunwilligkeit, Indolenz
праздностьprazdnostʹ, леностьlenostʹ
(countable, uncountable)Groundlessness; worthlessness; triviality; vanity; frivolity.
Nutzlosigkeit
бесплодностьbesplodnostʹ, бесполезностьbespoleznostʹ

More definitions

having no employment
the trait of being idle out of a reluctance to work
the quality of lacking substance or value

Examples

29 sentences

Work is preferable to idleness.
deArbeit ist dem Müßiggang vorzuziehen. — Dani6187
CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · C2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
The failure resulted from his idleness.
deDer Fehlschlag war die Folge seiner Faulheit. — Hans_Adler
CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · C2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
My idleness will become my doom.
CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · marcelostockle · C2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
It's difficult to live in idleness.
CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · mexicanhere · C2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
That is a mere excuse for idleness.
ruЭто не что иное, как предлог ничего не делать. — Arkadeko
deDas ist nichts weiter als ein Vorwand zum Faulenzen. — xtofu80
CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · handsomelyian · C2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem

Translations

7 languages

Русский

By meaning 3

state of being idle; inactivity:

state of being indolent:

groundlessness; worthlessness; triviality:

Deutsch

By meaning 3

state of being idle; inactivity:

state of being indolent:

groundlessness; worthlessness; triviality:

Origin

From Middle English ydelnesse, from Old English īdelnes, from Proto-West Germanic *īdlanas

From Middle English ydelnesse, from Old English īdelnes, from Proto-West Germanic *īdlanassī, equivalent to idle + -ness. Cognate with Old Frisian īdelnisse (“idelness”), obsolete Dutch ijdelnis, Old Saxon īdalnussi (“idleness, vanity”), Old High German ītalnissa (“idleness, vanity, emptiness”).

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