idle

1 of 2

adjective

ˈī-dᵊl 

idler ˈī-dᵊl-ər 

ˈīd-lər

; idlest ˈī-dᵊl-əst 

ˈīd-ləst

1

: not occupied or employed: such as

a

: having no employment : inactive

idle workers

b

: not turned to normal or appropriate use

idle farmland

c

: not scheduled to compete

The team will be idle tomorrow.

2

: not having any real purpose or value : vain

an idle act

idle speculation

an idle threat

3

old-fashioned

a

: shiftless, lazy

b

: having no evident lawful means of support

4

: not having much activity

the idle days of summer

idleness

ˈī-dᵊl-nəs 

noun

idle

2 of 2

verb

idled; idling ˈī-dᵊl-iŋ 

ˈīd-liŋ

intransitive verb

1

: to run at low power and often disconnected usually so that power is not used for useful work

the engine is idling

2

a

: to spend time in idleness

idling the day away

… most of the area idled in surface parking lots.

—John J. Flynn

b

: to move idly

transitive verb

1

: to pass in idleness

2

: to cause to idle

idled the engine

3

: to make idle

workers idled by a strike

Synonyms of idle

Adjective

• dormant
• off
• vacant
• unused

Verb

• lazy
• bum
• lounge
• rest
• chill
• laze
• dawdle
• play
• kill time
• relax
• veg out

Choose the Right Synonym for idle

Adjective

vain, nugatory, otiose, idle, empty, hollow mean being without worth or significance.

vain implies either absolute or relative absence of value.

vain promises

nugatory suggests triviality or insignificance.

a monarch with nugatory powers

otiose suggests that something serves no purpose and is either an encumbrance or a superfluity.

a film without a single otiose scene

idle suggests being incapable of worthwhile use or effect.

idle speculations

empty and hollow suggest a deceiving lack of real substance or soundness or genuineness.

an empty attempt at reconciliation

a hollow victory

inactive, idle, inert, passive, supine mean not engaged in work or activity.

inactive applies to anyone or anything not in action or in operation or at work.

on inactive status as an astronaut

inactive accounts

idle applies to persons that are not busy or occupied or to their powers or their implements.

workers were idle in the fields

inert as applied to things implies powerlessness to move or to affect other things; as applied to persons it suggests an inherent or habitual indisposition to activity.

inert ingredients in drugs

an inert citizenry

passive implies immobility or lack of normally expected response to an external force or influence and often suggests deliberate submissiveness or self-control.

passive resistance

supine applies only to persons and commonly implies abjectness or indolence.

a supine willingness to play the fool

Verb

idle, loaf, lounge, loll, laze mean to spend time doing nothing.

idle may be used in reference to persons that move lazily or without purpose.

idled the day away

loaf suggests either resting or wandering about as though there were nothing to do.

she does her work and then loafs the rest of the day

lounge, though occasionally used as equal to idle or loaf, typically conveys an additional implication of resting or reclining against a support or of physical comfort and ease in relaxation.

he lounged against the wall

loll also carries an implication of a posture similar to that of lounge, but places greater stress upon an indolent or relaxed attitude.

lolling on the couch

laze usually implies the relaxation of a busy person enjoying a vacation or moments of leisure.

lazed about between appointments

Examples of idle in a Sentence

Adjective

There has been a lot of idle speculation about what might happen, but no one really knows.

the idle days of summer

Verb

She left the engine idling for a few seconds before she turned it off.

The cars idled in traffic.

A group of boys idled in the doorway.

The factory closed, idling several hundred workers.

Thousands of workers have been idled by the bad economy.

The factory has been idled by the strike.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Grand pianos and half-full liquor bottles collect dust, while colorful children’s playrooms scattered with toys are unsettlingly idle. —Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025

There was a distinct set of tales dealing with demons who collected idle chatter in churches, and, over time, these stories were folded into the expanding legend of Tutivillus. —JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025

Verb

The transcripts moved with her, idling among her papers. —Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025

But for now, idled IRS workers aren’t applying thumbscrews to taxpayers. —John Seiler, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English idel, from Old English īdel; akin to Old High German ītal worthless

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1592, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2a

Phrases Containing idle

• idle rich
• idle threat

Rhymes for idle

• apsidal
• subtidal
• bridal
• bridle
• idol
• idyll
• seidel
• sidle
• tidal
• widal
• fratricidal
• fungicidal

Kids Definition

idle

1 of 2 adjective

ˈīd-ᵊl 

idler ˈīd-lər 

-ᵊl-ər

; idlest ˈīd-ləst 

-ᵊl-əst

1

: having no worth or basis

idle rumors

idle chatter

2

: not being used or employed

idle workers

idle factories

idle hours

3

: lazy sense 1

idleness

ˈīd-ᵊl-nəs 

noun

idly

ˈīd-lē 

-ᵊl-ē

adverb

idle

2 of 2 verb

idled; idling ˈīd-liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

1

: to spend time doing nothing

2

: to run without being connected for doing useful work

left the engine idling

idler

ˈīd-lər 

-ᵊl-ər

noun