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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of idleness
DeJean, who recorded the game-changing pick-six in Super Bowl LIX, couldn’t comprehend postseason idleness.
—
Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
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
Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idleness
Noun
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Ships have real inertia and Newtonian physics, and pilots can choose to toggle flight assistance on to help stabilize their often unpredictable craft, or off to perform mind-bending maneuvers that can be the edge between life and death in high-skill player versus player shootouts.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Bruening believes the market for specific skate types is just too small, the cost of development and rollout too high, and the cultural inertia too strong for some changes.—
Mark Hay,
Popular Science,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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At a time when Florida’s educator retention problem is harming students statewide, inaction is a choice that maintains a failing status quo.—
Andrew Spar,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Feb. 2026
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But supporters of the bill, that passed committee on a party-line vote, say the cost of inaction is far greater.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Herald spoke with four of the center’s previous directors who highlighted a systemic lack of funding, restrictive oversight and general neglect of the center’s maintenance.—
Raisa Habersham,
Miami Herald,
3 Feb. 2026
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During the time the children were in ChildNet's foster care program, there were no complaints or allegations of abuse or neglect regarding their foster placement.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Part of his great accomplishment was to take the European aesthetic of beauty and redefine it for the South, with its heat and its billboards, its indolence and humor and thick nights.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Some part of Baudelaire’s lifelong free-spending and indolence seems to be a direct rebellion against the man, if not outright Freudian jealousy—Charles was an unabashed mama’s boy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The biggest mistake investors make is assuming that patience means inactivity.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
New federal data shows wide differences in physical inactivity from state to state, Axios reported.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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And does a particular level of disuse have to be reached for a word to be dropped into the lexical dustbin?—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2025
-
The term fell largely into disuse with the Axis powers’ defeat in 1945.—
Andrew Latham,
The Conversation,
8 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Some 64 years later, the development is officially coming down, following years of decay, neglect and abandonment.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
4 Feb. 2026
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The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the legislature should act on the report’s recommendations with actions to strengthen reporting, enforce existing laws, prevent further abandonment of wells and ensure polluters pay for cleanup.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Pearce accused her of laziness.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
-
The contrast piping detail gives it something structured for the lounging expert, and takes the robe from being a symbol of laziness to a symbol of sustained self-care.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
2 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idleness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idleness. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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