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idle

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word idle different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of idle are inactive, inert, passive, and supine. While all these words mean "not engaged in work or activity," idle applies to persons that are not busy or occupied or to their powers or their implements.

workers were idle in the fields

When is inactive a more appropriate choice than idle?

The meanings of inactive and idle largely overlap; however, inactive applies to anyone or anything not in action or in operation or at work.

on inactive status as an astronaut
inactive accounts

When could inert be used to replace idle?

The words inert and idle are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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

When can passive be used instead of idle?

The words passive and idle can be used in similar contexts, but 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

When might supine be a better fit than idle?

While in some cases nearly identical to idle, supine applies only to persons and commonly implies abjectness or indolence.

a supine willingness to play the fool

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of idle
Adjective
Modern systems analyze patterns of active work, idle stretches and meeting length in real time, giving leaders a live feed of how productivity drifts through a day. Kolawole Samuel Adebayo, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025 Due to the idle activity, Bangladesh closed three land ports on the Indian border at the end of August, and suspended operations at another. Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
On the runway, planes sat with engines idling, ground crews making final preparations as if departures could come at any moment — all as the courtroom battle played out hundreds of miles away in Washington. Valerie Gonzalez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025 There are multiple scenes of him as a younger man walking briskly on city streets, briefcase tucked under an arm – purposeful, directed, not idling or taking in the ambiance around him. Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for idle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idle
Adjective
  • An opportunity to wake a dormant gift.
    Seth Wickersham, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
  • The Macy’s building sat dormant for over a decade.
    Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The last lazy Sunday of summer.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
  • Unlike Disneyland or Disney World, there is no theme park, but the resort boasts a mini water park with slides and a lazy river for all ages to enjoy.
    Essence, Essence, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • That’s what was bumming him out.
    Emily Longeretta, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
  • To be this close over and over is really bumming me out.
    Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Though his request to play in Napa was denied, his off-course involvement is already proving to be a unifying force.
    Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
  • However, he was involved in an off-field accident that forced the Royals to shift their pitching plans.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Marlowe, lounging behind Frizer, grabbed Frizer’s dagger and struck him in the head; Frizer snatched it back and returned the compliment.
    Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Personalized itineraries While some guests are perfectly happy to lounge by the pool or swim in the ocean, others may want to explore.
    Sherrie Nachman, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In September 2022, schoolteacher Eliza Fletcher was kidnapped during an early morning run, and her body was later found near a vacant duplex.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Each apartment was different from the next, and the vacant unit (one daughter retreated to a Greek island) had views of the sea.
    Keith Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Still, Demi Moore never rests on her style laurels.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The visible-light photo, taken by one of Maxar Technologies' WorldView Legion satellites orbiting at an altitude of 312 miles (518 kilometers), shows what appears to be a fleet of fighter jets resting on the ramp adjacent to the runway surrounded by brown, arid soil.
    Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Ferret out expired, empty and unused products that create clutter in the bathroom.
    The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
  • This otherwise unexplained and unused key combination was the gateway.
    Cameron Kaiser, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Idle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idle. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on idle

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