1
as in inertia
an inclination not to do work or engage in activities
the brothers' innate idleness meant that neither did much, either inside or outside their ramshackle cabin
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inaction
lack of action or activity
a day spent in idleness is nice, but a month of doing nothing is boring!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in neglect
lack of use
the idleness of the machine was apparent by its thick layer of dust
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of idleness
This patience is watchfulness, not idleness.
—
Francois Botha, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
All of which could lead to so much work that a man like Wyatt Harper might never have another day of idleness again.
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
Francois Botha, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
All of which could lead to so much work that a man like Wyatt Harper might never have another day of idleness again.
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idleness
Noun
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Where the first half of the 1600 conversation explored how young men are drifting toward the right through grievance, alienation and algorithmic content, this installment challenges Democrats to confront their own inertia.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
American inertia has become a global liability.—
John Wihbey,
Time,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Millions of Americans are now learning about these drastic increases from their health insurers, a direct consequence of Republican inaction.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
21 Oct. 2025
-
That was when PeerK12 alerted the district to the human swastika display and the inaction of SDA administrators.—
Marsha Sutton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The student’s mother was sentenced to a total of nearly four years in prison for child neglect and federal weapons charges.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Organizers also say historic status would help prevent demolition by neglect.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Johnson Administration said the AFDC rewarded indolence, and condoned non-marital child bearing.—
Stephanie Land,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Sennott and her costars speak with an irritatingly fake affect, are shallower than a puddle in the desert and prize selfishness, indolence and artifice.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But this past July, Baldwin’s own civil suit was dismissed because of inactivity.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The bar was suspended due to inactivity.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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As the demand for Ghana’s goods decreased, so did the need for the industrial railway line, leading to its disuse.—
Edna Bonhomme,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The muscles in his arms started to atrophy from disuse.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Less familiar are the consequences of its abandonment of traditional civil-rights-law enforcement.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
29 Oct. 2025
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Wellsense highlights that its Fli solutions are designed for versatility, supporting a broad spectrum of well applications such as production optimization, well integrity evaluation, stimulation monitoring, and abandonment planning.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Fraud is a symptom of bubbles, but so is laziness.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
30 Oct. 2025
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In the end, though, Black Phone 2’s relationship to Nightmare on Elm Street feels less like plagiarism than narrative laziness — but if the Grabber returns in a few years to fight Jason Voorhees, Freddy might want to consult a lawyer.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Idleness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idleness. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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