as in inertia
an inclination not to do work or engage in activities
a general feeling of indolence usually overtakes them during summer vacation
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Recent Examples of indolence
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, 22 Dec. 2025
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
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
Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
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
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
-
The city’s unique pace of regulation, agile visa regimes, and deep integration across sectors from education to manufacturing provide a seamless environment for businesses to pilot, scale, and diversify quickly, often cutting through the bureaucratic inertia found elsewhere.—
Abdulla Belhoul,
Fortune,
4 Feb. 2026
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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
Noun
-
Pearce accused her of laziness.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
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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
“Indolence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indolence. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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