1
as in dormant
not being in a state of use, activity, or employment
the car was idle for two weeks while they went on vacation the company's competitors have not been idle in developing rival products
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lazy
not easily aroused to action or work
an idle employee who always seems to be either on break or at lunch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to lazy
to spend time doing nothing
she likes to idle during the summer and recharge herself for the fall semester we idled away the evening relaxing around the campfire
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of idle
Dan Barry, New York Times, 18 May 2025
In a busy warehouse, for instance, human workers and multiple robots performing different tasks—often from different vendors—need a unified system that ensures smooth collaboration, avoiding collisions and idle time.
—Florian Pestoni, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 20 May 2025
Forget circling for parking or idling in tight corners—residents drive into a bay, and the system takes over.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for idle
Adjective
New Jersey, State of Constant Motion, Learns to Live With Immobility
Trains are idle, the airport is hobbled and large holes have opened on a major highway.
—Dan Barry, New York Times, 18 May 2025
In a busy warehouse, for instance, human workers and multiple robots performing different tasks—often from different vendors—need a unified system that ensures smooth collaboration, avoiding collisions and idle time.
—Florian Pestoni, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Verb
Cops responded at 3:56 a.m. to a report that a vehicle was idling by the roadside near the intersection of Woodland and Irving streets, its driver apparently unconscious.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 20 May 2025
Forget circling for parking or idling in tight corners—residents drive into a bay, and the system takes over.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for idle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idle
Adjective
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As a measure of how dormant the rivalry is, the two teams have not faced each other since 2008 — a year before Thomas Muller, who will leave Bayern this summer as their record appearance-maker with 751 (so far), had even made his competitive debut.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
7 June 2025
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Before Thursday, the court case had become somewhat dormant since the judge had made initial rulings against Trump’s actions around Harvard student visas.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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Hawaiian Falls Waco Water Park boasts an 800-foot-long lazy river, water slides, and a wave pool.—
Lydia Mansel,
Southern Living,
17 June 2025
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Filter out the lazy networkers who expect instant replies.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
Verb
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The graduate is not only bummed about the sister’s absence.—
Brian Anthony Hernandez,
People.com,
25 May 2025
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Everyone — from those actually paying to the ones still bumming a log-in — wants to know how Netflix and other streaming services’ crackdowns on password sharing affect them.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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Entering play Thursday, an off day for the Yankees, the reigning American League MVP had the highest average (.361), OPS (1.180), fWAR (6.1) and wRC+ (221) in baseball.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
26 June 2025
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His hope is two off days — Wednesday’s game and the team’s off-day on Thursday — will put him in position to return to the lineup on Friday in Cincinnati.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 June 2025
Verb
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Patio mats can also make the pool more comfortable for lounging, and create a soft base for toddlers or small children to play on.—
Lauren Bengtson,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 June 2025
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While the building is meant as a nod to the land’s agricultural roots, this one is for play rather than work: It’s set up for lounging and dining inside, with a wet bar for mixing up drinks and an outdoor fire pit perfect for making s’mores.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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In 1870, Mississippi legislators voted 81 to 15 to elect Revels to the Senate to finish the term of one of the state’s two U.S Senate seats, which had been left vacant since the Civil War.—
Bea L. Hines,
Miami Herald,
19 June 2025
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Earlier this month, Udoka was the subject of interest from the New York Knicks for their vacant head coaching position, one that the Rockets vehemently shut down.—
Kelly Iko,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
Verb
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Jacob Beam’s Impact on Bourbon Jacob’s success rested on careful craftsmanship.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
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Paralegal Ananya Sankar was called to the stand first and spoke to the accuracy of the text messages and documents which as the prosecution prepares to rest their portion of the case, has topped hundreds of pages.—
Essence,
Essence,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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With the right tools and approaches, SREs can look at optimizing utilization and costs—for example, shutting down unused resources instead of just keeping systems running.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
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Pediatricians may hesitate to stock vaccines in their offices, as they are not reimbursed for unused doses.—
Tom Frieden,
Time,
16 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Idle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idle. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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