idle

See also: IDLE and Idle

English

Pronunciation

• 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

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

idle (comparative more idle, superlative most idle)

1. (obsolete) Empty, vacant.

   Synonyms: bare, leer, void

2. Not being used appropriately; not occupied; (of time) with no, no important, or not much activity.

   Synonyms: dormant, quiescent, suspended; see also Thesaurus:inactive

   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.

3. Not engaged in any occupation or employment; unemployed; inactive; doing nothing in particular.

   Synonyms: unbusied, workless; see also Thesaurus:obsolete, Thesaurus:unemployed

   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.

4. Averse to work, labor or employment; lazy; slothful.

   Synonyms: indolent, inert; see also Thesaurus:lazy

   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, […]!”

5. Of no importance; useless; worthless; vain; trifling; thoughtless; silly.

   Synonyms: petty, pointless; see also Thesaurus:insignificant

   an idle story;  idle talk;  idle rumor

6. (obsolete) Light-headed; foolish.

   Synonyms: fatuous, unwise; see also Thesaurus:foolish

   • 1628, John Ford, The Lover's Melancholy:

     The youth is idle

Derived terms

• bone-idle
• bone idle
• idle as Ludlam's dog
• idle asset
• idledom
• idleful
• idle game
• idle hands are the Devil's playthings
• idle hands are the devil's playthings
• idle hands are the devil's tools
• idle hands are the Devil's tools
• idle hands are the devil's workshop
• idle hands are the Devil's workshop
• idlehead
• idleheaded
• idlehood
• idleness
• idle pulley
• idleship
• idlesome
• idle threat
• idle time
• idle wheel
• idling
• idlish
• idly
• nonidle
• overidle
• the devil makes work for idle hands, idle hands make work for the Devil, idle hands make work for the devil, the Devil finds work for idle hands, the devil finds work for idle hands, the Devil makes work for idle hands
• unidle

Translations

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)
• Esperanto: senokupa
• 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 (oc), ociós (oc)
• 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)
• Asturian: folgosu
• 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 (oc), desobrat (oc)
• Ottoman Turkish: كارسز (kârsız)
• 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
• Ottoman Turkish: تنبل (tembel), هایلاز (haylaz)
• 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 (cs)
• Dutch: nutteloos (nl)
• Esperanto: vana (eo)
• 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

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

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume.
2. (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 […]

3. (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.

4. (transitive) To cause (an engine) to idle(3)

Derived terms

• idler
• idlingly
• nonidling

Related terms

• (sense 3) idling speed

Translations

transitive: to spend in idleness, to waste

• Afrikaans: hanna-hanna
• Czech: mrhat (cs)
• Finnish: tuhlata (fi), haaskata (fi)
• Galician: lacazanear (gl)
• Greek: αδρανώ (el) (adranó)
• Hebrew: אבטלה (he) (avtalah)
• Italian: perdere tempo, girare a vuoto, sprecare tempo, sciupare nell'ozio
• Polish: bimbać (pl) impf (colloquial), przebimbać pf (colloquial)
• Scottish Gaelic: caith
• Turkish: boşa harcamak

intransitive: to lose or spend time doing nothing — see also loiter

• Afrikaans: hanna-hanna
• Bulgarian: безделнича (bg) (bezdelniča), лентяйствам (lentjajstvam)
• Catalan: vagarejar (ca), vagar (ca)
• Czech: zahálet (cs)
• Finnish: olla joutilaana, olla vapaalla, maleksia (fi), laiskotella (fi), idlailla, idlata
• French: fainéanter (fr)
• Galician: ouvear (gl)
• Greek: τεμπελιάζω (el) (tempeliázo)
• Hebrew: אבטלה (he) (avtalah)
• Hungarian: henyél (hu)
• Italian: oziare (it)
• Maori: whakapateko, whakapāeko
• Polish: bimbać (pl) impf (colloquial), przebimbać pf (colloquial)
• Portuguese: perder tempo
• Russian: безде́льничать (ru) impf (bezdélʹničatʹ)
• Spanish: vaguear (es), holgazanear (es), golfear (es), flojear (es), haraganear (es)
• Swahili: zembea (sw)
• Turkish: oyalanmak (tr), aylaklık etmek (tr)
• Vietnamese: không hoạt động, ngồi không, đứng không, nằm không

to run at a slow speed, or out of gear

• Afrikaans: luier
• Bulgarian: работя на празен ход (rabotja na prazen hod)
• Finnish: olla joutokäynnillä
• French: tourner au ralenti (fr), être/tourner au point mort (fr)
• Italian: girare al minimo, in folle
• Spanish: marchar / andar al / en ralentí / vacío / mínimum, estar ralentizado
• Swedish: gå på tomgång
• Turkish: boşta çalışmak

Etymology 3

From Middle English idel, ydel, from Old English īdel (“idleness”), from the adjective (see above).

Noun

idle (plural idles)

1. The state of idling, of being idle.
2. (mechanical engineering) The lowest selectable thrust or power setting of an engine.

   Synonyms: full throttle, wide open

   a lumpy idle

   A slight valve tap was audible at idle but was not noticeable otherwise.

3. (gaming) An idle animation.
4. (gaming) An idle game.

   Synonyms: idle game, incremental game

Hyponyms

• flight idle
• ground idle

References

• idle on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “idle”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “idle”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Diel, Lide, deli, diel, eild, lied

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈidle/ [ˈið̞.le]
• Rhymes: -idle
• Syllabification: id‧le

Verb

idle

1. second-person plural imperative of ir combined with le