idle

Meaning

Verb

1. To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume.
2. To lose or spend time doing nothing, or without being employed in business.
3. Of an engine: to run at a slow speed, or out of gear; to tick over.
4. To cause (an engine) to idle(3)

Adj

1. (obsolete) Empty, vacant.
2. Not being used appropriately; not occupied; (of time) with no, no important, or not much activity.
3. Not engaged in any occupation or employment; unemployed; inactive; doing nothing in particular.
4. Averse to work, labor or employment; lazy; slothful.
5. Of no importance; useless; worthless; vain; trifling; thoughtless; silly.
6. (obsolete) Light-headed; foolish.

Noun

1. The state of idling, of being idle.
2. The lowest selectable thrust or power setting of an engine.
3. An idle animation.
4. An idle game.

Synonyms

lazy

loaf

slothful

indolent

laze

lounge

inactive

vain

dawdle

unoccupied

unemployed

useless

unused

waste time

futile

frivolous

otiose

jobless

free

🆓

sluggish

loiter

aimless

unfounded

groundless

slack

empty

leisure

pointless

leisured

worthless

light

shiftless

dead

💀

baseless

loose

lounge about

loaf about

trivial

out of work

goof off

unwarranted

stagnate

dilatory

idleness

sterile

unsubstantial

shirk

tick over

shallow

do-nothing

linger

fuck about

unrealistic

ineffectual

trashy

careless

remiss

out-of-work

fruitless

wild

dally

fuck off

lethargic

vacuous

sluggard

slug

take a long time

slow

piss about

without work

purposeless

quiet

racing

relax

relaxed

☺️

run idle

same

silly

sit back

sloth

🦥

soft

spend

spoiled

standing

steadfastness

tarry

thoughtless

time

⌚

arse about

arse around

hack around

stand idle

trifle

trifling

truant

unambitious

unavailing

uneconomical

unemployed person

unengaged

unimportant

unjustified

unloaded

unmeaning

unproductive

unprofitable

unremunerative

unsuccessful

vacant

vapid

vegetate

workless

be tired

free play

gad about

laze about

let pass

live alone

mess around

muck about

not occupied

out of use

run free

sit around

slack off

stand around

swing the lead

pass time

long-winded and meaningless

doing nothing

be playful

live in luxury

not employed

having nothing to do

preoperation

be frivolous

devoid of dancing

not diligent

quite fruitless

without energy

out of gear

idle running

slow running

idle run

not scheduled to compete

to cause to idle

to make smb. idle

blank run

zero discharge

lead a truant life

loose running

running-idle

run light

run empty

running empty

race rotation

nofloat load

race running

abortive

air the heels

absurd

apathetic

around

be idle

bone-idle

bored

chaffy

common

conceited

delay

distant

dormant

drone

dull

faineant

fallow

false

fatigued

feckless

few

🤏

fiddle-faddle

firmness

fixed

fool about

fool around

foolish

free running

free time

fribble

fuck around

good-for-nothing

hollow

idle away

idler

idling

idly

ilk

immobility

inoperative

insipid

irresponsible

lackadaisical

languid

late

lax

leisurely

lewd

lie about

lingering

loafing

loll

lost motion

maroon

meaningless

mess about

mischievous

misuse

motionless

negligent

niggling

nonproductive

nugatory

objectless

obscene

off-duty

ordinary

out of service

piddle

playboy

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈaɪd(ə)l/

Etymology

From Middle English idelen, from Old English īdlian, from Proto-West Germanic *īdalēn. Cognate with German eiteln (“to make empty, free up”).