idler

noun

Definition of idlernext
as in slug
a lazy person the hot weather turned us into a bunch of idlers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 idler Their name exudes the essence of an idler and slacker, but women’s loafers themselves are quite the opposite. — Gaby Keiderling, Harper's BAZAAR, 19 Jan. 2023 This represents the loss of an idea of what the capital should represent, the removal of a place that was an idler’s haven. — Anandi Mishra, The Atlantic, 30 July 2022 If the flaneur is an active idler, the badaud is a stationary, passive one, ready to stare open-mouthed at any phenomenon that offers novelty or puzzlement. — Julian Barnes, The New York Review of Books, 27 Apr. 2022 That these dialogues are a joint project of the WEF and the entitled idler next in line to the British throne is another reminder that democracy is no part of the Davos game. — Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 29 Oct. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idler
  1. slug
  2. drone
  3. sluggard
  4. snail
  5. bum
  6. layabout
  7. deadbeat
Noun
  • The iron sights of my new slug barrel came to rest on the target—still more than 60 yards away.
    — Don J. Dinndorf, Outdoor Life, 31 Oct. 2026
  • The Phillies, built on slug and stardom, also began passing the baton.
    — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of slug
Noun
  • Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 493 drones were fired toward the capital.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Since her 2019 debut, PURGE, which drew from her experiences in the New York and Berlin rave and punk scenes, Chen has been moving toward ever-sharper contrasts between caustic drones and close-mic’d croons.
    — James Gui, Pitchfork, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of drone
Noun
  • Scar then proceeds to desolate the kingdom, with the help of hyenas, while Simba, in exile, grows up to become a pleasure-hunting, grub-eating sluggard.
    — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 19 July 2019
  • Clearly, supervision at your job is lax, and your sluggard classmate is taking advantage of that.
    — Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2017
Definition of sluggard
Noun
  • The tiny snail was first detected in Michigan in 2015 and was previously found in Au Sable, Boardman, Grass, Pere Marquette, Pine and Upper Manistee rivers in Northern Michigan.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • And those kelp forests are—or were—marvels of diversity, providing a shelter for a wild array of ocean creatures from jeweled top sea snails to barrel-bodied harbor seals.
    — Joseph Ogilvy, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of snail
Noun
  • Zellers poured the foundation, and Morrison hired fellow ski bums to do the framing, masonry, and tiling.
    — Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Carl Sandburg’s 1927 American Songbag featured a whole section of hobo songs presenting the bum as a beau ideal.
    — Caroline Fraser, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of bum
Noun
  • And yet suddenly Liam the layabout, Liam the bozo, Liam the irresponsible clown is in his element.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Marlon's Shorty Meeks is in his 25th year of high school, but has made millions as a layabout live-streamer.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 June 2026
Definition of layabout
Noun
  • In the film Rap World (which Bensinger also edited), Bensinger, O’Malley, and Rahill play suburban deadbeats eager to make an album, each man waylaid by his own hubris and distractions.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
  • In the fight for the right to be yourself, there are a lot of barriers to being accepted as a female deadbeat.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of deadbeat

Browse Nearby Words

idleness
idler
idlers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Idler.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idler. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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