idle

English edit

Pronunciation edit

enPR: īʹd(ə)l, IPA^(key): /ˈaɪd(ə)l/
(Canada, idle-idol split) IPA^(key): /ˈʌɪdəl/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -aɪdəl
Homophones: idol, idyll, idyl (US pronunciation)

Etymology 1 edit

From Middle English idel, ydel, from Old English īdel, from Proto-West Germanic *īdal, from Proto-Germanic *īdalaz. Cognate with Dutch ijdel (“vain, meaningless”), ijl (“rareified, skinny”), iel (“thin, slender”); German Low German iedel (“vain, idle”); German eitel (“vain, conceited”); and possibly Old Norse illr ("bad"; > English ill).

Adjective edit

idle (comparative more idle, superlative most idle)

(obsolete) Empty, vacant.
Not being used appropriately; not occupied; (of time) with no, no important, or not much activity.
idle hours

My computer hibernates after it has been idle for 30 minutes.
- 2009, Jane Bryant Quinn, Making the Most of Your Money Now:
  The majority of accounts require no minimum balance and charge no monthly service fee. Where monthly fees and balance requirements exist, they're low. You earn no interest on the idle money in the account.
Not engaged in any occupation or employment; unemployed; inactive; doing nothing in particular.
idle workmen
- 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
  Molly the dairymaid came a little way from the rickyard, and said she would pluck the pigeon that very night after work. She was always ready to do anything for us boys; and we could never quite make out why they scolded her so for an idle hussy indoors. It seemed so unjust. Looking back, I recollect she had very beautiful brown eyes.
Averse to work, labor or employment; lazy; slothful.
an idle fellow
- 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VI, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
  “I don't mean all of your friends—only a small proportion—which, however, connects your circle with that deadly, idle, brainless bunch—the insolent chatterers at the opera, the gorged dowagers, the worn-out, passionless men, the enervated matrons of the summer capital, […]!”
Of no importance; useless; worthless; vain; trifling; thoughtless; silly.
an idle story; idle talk; idle rumor
(obsolete) Light-headed; foolish.
- 1628, John Ford, The Lover's Melancholy:
  The youth is idle

Synonyms edit

(of no importance): pointless
See also Thesaurus:lazy

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

not turned to appropriate use, not occupied, of time with little activity

Afrikaans: onaktief
Bulgarian: безде́ен (bg) (bezdéen)
Catalan: inactiu (ca), ociós (ca) m
Chinese:
Cantonese: 閒置嘅／闲置嘅 (haan⁴ zi³ ge³), 得閒嘅／得闲嘅 (yue) (dak¹ haan⁴ ge³)
Czech: volný (cs)
Dutch: inactief (nl)
Finnish: joutilas (fi), luppo (fi), luppoaika (fi)
Galician: inaitivo m, folgado (gl) m, lorán m
German: ungenutzt (de), Mußezeit f, Totzeit f
Greek: αδρανής (el) m (adranís)
Ingrian: joutava
Italian: ozioso (it), inattivo (it)
Latin: deses
Middle English: ydel
Occitan: estaire, desocupat, inactiu
Persian: تلف‌شده (talaf-šode), بیکار (fa) (bikâr) (of things or people), بیکاری (fa) (bikâri) (of time)
Portuguese: vazio (pt), inapropriado (pt), desocupado (pt), inutilizável
Scottish Gaelic: dìomhain
Spanish: desocupado (es), ocioso (es)
Turkish: aylak (tr), boş (tr)

not engaged in any occupation or employment

Arabic: عَاطِل عَن اَلْعَمَل (ʕāṭil ʕan al-ʕamal)
Bulgarian: неза́ет (bg) (nezáet), безрабо́тен (bg) (bezrabóten)
Catalan: desocupat, aturat (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 閒／闲 (zh) (xián)
Czech: nečinný
Dutch: nietsdoend
Finnish: joutilas (fi), toimeton (fi)
French: oisif (fr)
Galician: mandrugueiro m, baldeiro (gl) m, desempregado m
Georgian: დაუსაქმებელი (dausakmebeli), უმუშევარი (umuševari)
German: untätig (de), müßig (de)
Greek: άνεργος (el) m (ánergos)
Ancient: ἀργός (argós)
Hungarian: tétlen (hu)
Ingrian: joutava
Irish: díomhaoin
Italian: ozioso (it), disoccupato (it), inattivo (it)
Japanese: 暇な (ja) (ひまな, hima na)
Korean: 게으르다 (ko) (geeureuda)
Latin: ōtiōsus m
Maori: paeko
Middle English: ydel
Norwegian: arbeidsløs (no)
Occitan: ociós, desobrat
Persian: بیکار (fa) (bikâr)
Polish: próżny (pl), bezczynny (pl)
Portuguese: ocioso (pt), desocupado (pt), desempregado (pt)
Quechua: qilla
Russian: неза́нятый (ru) (nezánjatyj)
Scottish Gaelic: dìomhain
Spanish: ocioso (es)
Swedish: overksam (sv)
Thai: ว่างงาน (th) (wâang-ngaan)
Tocharian B: ālase
Turkish: boş (tr), atıl (tr), aylak (tr), avare (tr)

averse to work or labor

Afrikaans: werksku
Belarusian: ляні́вы (ljanívy)
Bulgarian: лени́в (bg) (lenív), мързели́в (bg) m (mǎrzelív)
Catalan: gandul (ca) m, dropo (ca) m
Chinese:
Cantonese: 懶散嘅／懒散嘅 (laan⁵ saan² ge³), 懶惰嘅／懒惰嘅 (laan⁵ do⁶ ge³)
Czech: líný (cs)
Finnish: laiska (fi)
French: inactif (fr), fainéant (fr)
Galician: lacazán (gl) m, nugallán (gl) m, preguiceiro (gl) m, lorán m, galfarro m, langrán (gl) m, gallofeiro (gl), camanduleiro m, mandrugueiro m, calaceiro (gl) m
Georgian: უსაქმური (usakmuri), უმაქნისი (umaknisi), მცონარა (mconara), უქნარა (uknara)
German: faul (de), arbeitsscheu (de) (pejorative)
Greek: οκνηρός (el) m (oknirós), άεργος (el) m (áergos)
Ingrian: laiska
Italian: pigro (it), indolente (it), ozioso (it), infingardo (it)
Latin: ōtiōsus
Macedonian: мрзлив (mrzliv)
Maori: paeko
Middle English: ydel
Polish: leniwy (pl)
Portuguese: preguiçoso (pt), vagabundo (pt)
Russian: лени́вый (ru) (lenívyj)
Scottish Gaelic: dìomhain, leisg
Slovak: lenivý
Spanish: vagabundo (es)
Turkish: avare (tr), aylak (tr)
Ukrainian: ліни́вий (linývyj), леда́чий (ledáčyj)

of no importance, worthless, useless

Afrikaans: nutteloos
Bulgarian: напра́зен (bg) (naprázen), безполе́зен (bg) (bezpolézen)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 無謂／无谓 (mou⁴ wai⁶), 冇意義嘅／冇意义嘅 (mou⁵ ji³ ji⁶ ge³), 唔重要嘅 (m⁴ zung⁶ jiu³ ge³)
Czech: nepotřebný, neužitečný
Dutch: nutteloos (nl)
Finnish: joutava (fi)
French: oiseux (fr)
Galician: mandriolas m, galavardo m, estreloxo m, vao (gl) m, valuto m
German: nutzlos (de), müßig (de), überflüssig (de), belanglos (de)
Greek: άχρηστος (el) m (áchristos), ανώφελος (el) m (anófelos)
Ingrian: joutava
Italian: inutile (it), vano (it)
Middle English: ydel
Persian: الکی (fa) (alaki)
Portuguese: inútil (pt), imprestável (pt), vão (pt)
Scottish Gaelic: dìomhain
Turkish: boş (tr), önemsiz (tr), değersiz (tr)

Etymology 2 edit

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

Verb edit

idle (third-person singular simple present idles, present participle idling, simple past and past participle idled)

(transitive) To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume.
(intransitive) To lose or spend time doing nothing, or without being employed in business.
to idle in an IRC channel
- 1939, Joan Evans, Chateaubriand, page 32:
  He had already heard of the young man's projected journey — evidently the Comte de Combourg had written many letters while his son idled at St. Malo […]
(intransitive) Of an engine: to run at a slow speed, or out of gear; to tick over.
- 2021 October 6, Paul Clifton, “Network News: RSSB research exposes poor air quality on diesel trains”, in RAIL, number 941, page 14:
  High levels of all pollutants were found during time idling in stations.
(transitive) To cause (an engine) to idle(3)