as in inertia
an inclination not to do work or engage in activities
a general feeling of indolence usually overtakes them during summer vacation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 indolence
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
As if my sudden turn to sedentariness were the result of indolence, not infirmity.
—Lucinda Rosenfeld, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
The idea of Irish indolence fused with a quasi-religious faith in the laws of the market to shape the British response to the famine.
—Fintan O'Toole, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for indolence
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
As if my sudden turn to sedentariness were the result of indolence, not infirmity.
—Lucinda Rosenfeld, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
The idea of Irish indolence fused with a quasi-religious faith in the laws of the market to shape the British response to the famine.
—Fintan O'Toole, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for indolence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indolence
Noun
-
Japan’s old, stodgy government is initially too caught up in bureaucratic red tape and inertia to mount a response.—
James Grebey,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Her confinement was not the result of any criminal conduct, but of bureaucratic error compounded by institutional inertia.—
Mike Hellgren,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Friends and family suspect drugs, laziness or bad moral character.—
Kat McGowan,
NPR,
31 Dec. 2025
-
Here are some tips to fight back against the flawed belief that rest is just laziness in disguise, during the holidays and beyond.—
Stacy Shaw,
Fortune,
26 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Indolence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indolence. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
