 idle |
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| 1. | [ adjective ] not in action or at work | |
| Examples: | "an idle laborer" "idle drifters" "the idle rich" "an idle mind" |
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| Related terms: | busy faineant bone-idle lackadaisical at_liberty unengaged bone-idle goldbricking leisure unemployed ineffective | |
| 2. | [ verb ] run disconnected or idle | |
| Synonyms: | tick_over | |
| Examples: | "the engine is idling" |
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| Related terms: | run | |
| 3. | [ verb ] be idle; exist in a changeless situation | |
| Synonyms: | laze slug stagnate | |
| Examples: | "The old man sat and stagnated on his porch" "He slugged in bed all morning" |
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| Related terms: | work bum_around ride_the_bench lie_about moon daydream idler idleness stagnation | |
| 4. | [ adjective ] without a basis in reason or fact | |
| Synonyms: | groundless unwarranted unfounded baseless | |
| Examples: | "baseless gossip" "the allegations proved groundless" "idle fears" "unfounded suspicions" "unwarranted jealousy" |
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| Related terms: | unsupported | |
| 5. | [ adjective ] not in active use | |
| Synonyms: | unused | |
| Examples: | "the machinery sat idle during the strike" "idle hands" |
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| Related terms: | inactive | |
| 6. | [ adjective ] silly or trivial | |
| Synonyms: | light | |
| Examples: | "idle pleasure" "light banter" "light idle chatter" |
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| Related terms: | frivolous | |
| 7. | [ adjective ] lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility | |
| Synonyms: | loose | |
| Examples: | "idle talk" "a loose tongue" |
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| Related terms: | irresponsible | |
| 8. | [ adjective ] not yielding a return | |
| Synonyms: | dead | |
| Examples: | "dead capital" "idle funds" |
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| Related terms: | unprofitable | |
| 9. | [ adjective ] (work) not having a job | |
| Synonyms: | out_of_work jobless | |
| Examples: | "idle carpenters" "jobless transients" "many people in the area were out of work" |
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| Related terms: | unemployed | |
| Similar spelling: |
idol idyll Idell ideal Idella Idalia ideally idly |
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