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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of idleness
Spending healthy years in idleness isn’t good for you.
—
Editorial Board, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2026
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
Editorial Board, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idleness
Noun
-
Family ties, children's schools, business networks, cultural amenities, and sheer inertia often matter more than cable-news tax talking points.—
Christopher Marquis,
Time,
18 Feb. 2026
-
But when a single school system dominates the market, whether by design or simple inertia, the incentives flip.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
People are not always aware of the impact their actions or inactions have on those around them.—
Gary Singer,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Climate inaction is a financial liability.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Castellanos Triminio faces charges of strong-arm robbery, child neglect, false imprisonment, and battery by strangulation.—
February 23,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2026
-
After the circus moved on, Black South African soccer remained mired in neglect, while cricket and rugby continued to thrive.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Taken in whole, this period was an oasis of creativity for Wilson in-between long stretches of inactivity that preceded and followed it, so even the minor misfires are fascinating; the absolute gems contained within the entry and exit points of Brian’s 1970s flourishing feel all the more precious.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2026
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Zoschak said Van Rootselaar had a year of possible inactivity in 2024, with no traceable posts.—
Lauren Fichten,
CBS News,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Heart muscles atrophy, or weaken from disuse, in adults who spend prolonged times in the weightlessness of space.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
And some lawmakers are having conversations about responsibility, and who should be held liable in cases of abandonment and death.—
Mary Beth Skylis,
Outside,
26 Feb. 2026
-
And always underneath all the resentment and abandonment is a love there.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Leisure bred laziness; coddling meant spoiling.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Pearce accused her of laziness.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idleness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idleness. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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