Idle Definition & Meaning | Bay Area Crosswords

About The Word Idle

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Idle

Idle Definition And Meaning
What's The Definition Of Idle? [adj] not having a job; "idle carpenters"; "jobless transients"; "many people in the area were out of work" [adj] not in active use; "the machinery sat idle during the strike"; "idle hands" [adj] not in action or at work; "an idle laborer"; "idle drifters"; "the idle rich"; "an idle mind" [adj] not yielding a return; "dead capital"; "idle funds" [adj] lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility; "idle talk"; "a loose tongue" [adj] silly or trivial; "idle pleasure"; "light banter"; "light idle chatter" [adj] without a basis in reason or fact; "baseless gossip"; "the allegations proved groundless"; "idle fears"; "unfounded suspicions"; "unwarranted jealousy" [v] run disconnected or idle; "the engine is idling" [v] be idle; exist in a changeless situation; "The old man sat and stagnated on his porch"; "He slugged in bed all morning" Synonyms \| Synonyms for Idle: at liberty(p) \| baseless \| bone-idle \| bone-lazy \| dead \| faineant \| frivolous \| goldbricking(a) \| groundless \| inactive \| indolent \| irresponsible \| jobless \| lackadaisical \| laze \| lazy \| leisure(a) \| leisured \| light \| loose \| otiose \| out of work \| slothful \| slug \| stagnate \| unengaged \| unfounded \| unprofitable \| unsupported \| unused \| unwarranted \| work-shy Related Terms \| Find terms related to Idle: abortive \| absurd \| airy \| amble \| ambling \| asinine \| asleep \| at a standstill \| at anchor \| at leisure \| at liberty \| at loose ends \| available \| baseless \| be a sideliner \| be still \| bootless \| brogue \| bum \| bum around \| catchpenny \| cautious \| circumspect \| claudicant \| claudicate \| coast \| contemplative \| coquet \| crawl \| crawling \| creep \| creeping \| creeping like snail \| dabble \| dally \| dally away \| dead-still \| delay \| deliberate \| diddle \| diddle away \| disengaged \| do nothing \| dog it \| dogtrot \| do-nothing \| dormant \| drag \| drag along \| drag out \| dribble away \| drift \| drivel away \| drone \| easy \| empty \| faineant \| fallow \| faltering \| fatuitous \| fatuous \| fiddle \| fiddle with \| fiddle-faddle \| fidget with \| finger with \| fixed \| flagging \| flimsy \| flirt \| fool \| fool around \| fool away \| fool with \| foolish \| foot-dragging \| free \| fribble \| fribbling \| fritter away \| frivol \| frivolous \| frothy \| fruitless \| fust \| futile \| gentle \| go dead slow \| go slow \| goldbrick \| goof off \| gradual \| groundless \| halting \| hang around \| hang fire \| hibernate \| hobble \| hobbled \| hobbling \| hollow \| horse around \| idle away \| ill-founded \| immobile \| immotive \| inactive \| inane \| inch \| inch along \| indolent \| inert \| insignificant \| jerk off \| jobless \| jog-trot \| kid around \| kill \| kill time \| lackadaisical \| laissez-aller \| laissez-faire \| lallygag \| languid \| languorous \| laze \| lazy \| leisure \| leisured \| leisurely \| lethargic \| lie around \| lie dormant \| light \| limp \| limping \| linger \| listless \| loaf \| loafing \| loiter \| loiter about \| loitering \| loll \| loll around \| lollop around \| lollygag \| lounge \| lounge around \| lumbering \| lumpen \| mark time \| meaningless \| meditative \| mess around \| moderate \| monkey \| monkey around \| mooch \| mooch around \| moon \| moon around \| mosey \| motionless \| moveless \| muddle away \| neuter \| neutral \| not budge \| not stir \| nugacious \| nugatory \| off \| off duty \| off work \| open \| otiose \| out of commission \| out of employ \| out of harness \| out of work \| paralytic \| paralyzed \| passive \| piddle \| piss away \| play \| play around \| play with \| pointless \| poke \| poke along \| poking \| poky \| potter \| potter away \| procrastinating \| putter \| quiescent \| quiet \| quietist \| quietistic \| redundant \| relax \| relaxed \| reluctant \| repose \| rest \| resting \| retired \| riding at anchor \| saunter \| sauntering \| semiretired \| senseless \| shallow \| shiftless \| shuffle along \| shuffling \| silly \| sit around \| sit back \| sit it out \| slack \| sleep \| sleepy \| slender \| slight \| slothful \| slouch \| slouch around \| slow \| slow as death \| slow as molasses \| slow as slow \| slow-crawling \| slow-foot \| slow-going \| slow-legged \| slow-moving \| slow-paced \| slow-poky \| slow-running \| slow-sailing \| slow-stepped \| sluggish \| slumber \| smatter \| smolder \| snaillike \| snail-paced \| spare \| stagger along \| staggering \| stagnant \| stagnate \| stagnating \| stand around \| standpat \| static \| stationary \| statuelike \| still \| stock-still \| stroll \| strolling \| superficial \| take it easy \| tarry \| tentative \| tinker \| toddle \| toddle along \| toddling \| tortoiselike \| totter along \| tottering \| toy \| toy with \| traipse \| trifle \| trifle away \| trifling \| trite \| trivial \| trudging \| turtlelike \| twiddle \| unavailing \| unbased \| unemployable \| unemployed \| unfounded \| unfruitful \| ungrounded \| unhurried \| unimportant \| unmoved \| unmoving \| unoccupied \| unproductive \| unsupportable \| unsupported \| unsustainable \| unsustained \| untenable \| unused \| unwarranted \| useless \| vacuous \| vain \| vapid \| vegetable \| vegetate \| vegetative \| waddle \| waddling \| wait and see \| walk \| waste \| watch and wait \| while away \| windy \| without basis \| without foundation \| workless \| worm \| worm along \| worthless See Also \| arse about \| arse around \| bum about \| bum around \| daydream \| frig around \| fuck off \| ineffective \| ineffectual \| lie about \| lie around \| loaf \| loll \| loll around \| lounge about \| lounge around \| moon \| moon around \| moon on \| ride the bench \| uneffective \| unemployed \| warm the bench \| waste one's time Idle In Webster's Dictionary \I"dle\, a. [Compar. {Idler}; superl. {Idlest}.] [OE. idel, AS. [=i]del vain, empty, useless; akin to OS. [=i]dal, D. ijdel, OHG. [=i]tal vain, empty, mere, G. eitel, Dan. & Sw. idel mere, pure, and prob. to Gr. ? clear, pure, ? to burn. Cf. {Ether}.] 1. Of no account; useless; vain; trifling; unprofitable; thoughtless; silly; barren. ``Deserts idle.'' --Shak. Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. --Matt. xii. 36. Down their idle weapons dropped. --Milton. This idle story became important. --Macaulay. 2. Not called into active service; not turned to appropriate use; unemployed; as, idle hours. The idle spear and shield were high uphing. --Milton. 3. Not employed; unoccupied with business; inactive; doing nothing; as, idle workmen. Why stand ye here all the day idle? --Matt. xx. 6. 4. Given rest and ease; averse to labor or employment; lazy; slothful; as, an idle fellow. 5. Light-headed; foolish. [Obs.] --Ford. {Idle pulley} (Mach.), a pulley that rests upon a belt to tighten it; a pulley that only guides a belt and is not used to transmit power. {Idle wheel} (Mach.), a gear wheel placed between two others, to transfer motion from one to the other without changing the direction of revolution. {In idle}, in vain. [Obs.] ``God saith, thou shalt not take the name of thy Lord God in idle.'' --Chaucer. Syn: Unoccupied; unemployed; vacant; inactive; indolent; sluggish; slothful; useless; ineffectual; futile; frivolous; vain; trifling; unprofitable; unimportant. Usage: {Idle}, {Indolent}, {Lazy}. A propensity to inaction is expressed by each of these words; they differ in the cause and degree of this characteristic. Indolent denotes an habitual love to ease, a settled dislike of movement or effort; idle is opposed to {busy}, and denotes a dislike of continuous exertion. Lazy is a stronger and more contemptuous term than indolent. \I"dle\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Idled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Idling}.] To lose or spend time in inaction, or without being employed in business. --Shak. \I"dle\, v. t. To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume; -- often followed by away; as, to idle away an hour a day.

Idle Definition And Meaning

What's The Definition Of Idle?

[adj] not having a job; "idle carpenters"; "jobless transients"; "many people in the area were out of work"
[adj] not in active use; "the machinery sat idle during the strike"; "idle hands"
[adj] not in action or at work; "an idle laborer"; "idle drifters"; "the idle rich"; "an idle mind"
[adj] not yielding a return; "dead capital"; "idle funds"
[adj] lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility; "idle talk"; "a loose tongue"
[adj] silly or trivial; "idle pleasure"; "light banter"; "light idle chatter"
[adj] without a basis in reason or fact; "baseless gossip"; "the allegations proved groundless"; "idle fears"; "unfounded suspicions"; "unwarranted jealousy"
[v] run disconnected or idle; "the engine is idling"
[v] be idle; exist in a changeless situation; "The old man sat and stagnated on his porch"; "He slugged in bed all morning"

Idle In Webster's Dictionary

\I"dle\, a. [Compar. {Idler}; superl. {Idlest}.] [OE. idel,
AS. [=i]del vain, empty, useless; akin to OS. [=i]dal, D.
ijdel, OHG. [=i]tal vain, empty, mere, G. eitel, Dan. & Sw.
idel mere, pure, and prob. to Gr. ? clear, pure, ? to burn.
Cf. {Ether}.]
1. Of no account; useless; vain; trifling; unprofitable;
   thoughtless; silly; barren. ``Deserts idle.'' --Shak.

         Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall
         give account thereof in the day of judgment. --Matt.
                                               xii. 36.

         Down their idle weapons dropped.      --Milton.

         This idle story became important.     --Macaulay.

2. Not called into active service; not turned to appropriate
   use; unemployed; as, idle hours.

         The idle spear and shield were high uphing.
                                               --Milton.

3. Not employed; unoccupied with business; inactive; doing
   nothing; as, idle workmen.

         Why stand ye here all the day idle?   --Matt. xx. 6.

4. Given rest and ease; averse to labor or employment; lazy;
   slothful; as, an idle fellow.

5. Light-headed; foolish. [Obs.] --Ford.

{Idle pulley} (Mach.), a pulley that rests upon a belt to
   tighten it; a pulley that only guides a belt and is not
   used to transmit power.

{Idle wheel} (Mach.), a gear wheel placed between two others,
   to transfer motion from one to the other without changing
   the direction of revolution.

{In idle}, in vain. [Obs.] ``God saith, thou shalt not take
   the name of thy Lord God in idle.'' --Chaucer.

Syn: Unoccupied; unemployed; vacant; inactive; indolent;
     sluggish; slothful; useless; ineffectual; futile;
     frivolous; vain; trifling; unprofitable; unimportant.

Usage: {Idle}, {Indolent}, {Lazy}. A propensity to inaction
       is expressed by each of these words; they differ in
       the cause and degree of this characteristic. Indolent
       denotes an habitual love to ease, a settled dislike of
       movement or effort; idle is opposed to {busy}, and
       denotes a dislike of continuous exertion. Lazy is a
       stronger and more contemptuous term than indolent.


\I"dle\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Idled}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Idling}.]
To lose or spend time in inaction, or without being employed
in business. --Shak.


\I"dle\, v. t.
To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume; -- often followed
by away; as, to idle away an hour a day.

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