idleness Meaning & Definition
What Does Idleness Mean?
Idleness is used as an adjective meaning not occupied or employed. It can also mean having no employment.
Idleness in Brief
| Part of speech | adjective |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈī-dᵊl/ |
| Syllables | 2 |
| Synonyms | loafing, faineance and idling |
| Antonyms | drive, industriousness and industry |
Idleness Definition (Adjective)
- not occupied or employed: such as
- having no employment : inactive
idle workers
- not turned to normal or appropriate use
idle farmland
- not scheduled to compete
The team will be idle tomorrow.
- not having any real purpose or value : vain
an idle act / idle speculation / an idle threat
- shiftless, lazy
- having no evident lawful means of support
- not having much activity
the idle days of summer
Synonyms of Idleness
Antonyms of Idleness
Idleness in a Sentence
idle workers
idle farmland
The team will be idle tomorrow.
an idle act
idle speculation
an idle threat
the idle days of summer
the brothers' innate idleness meant that neither did much, either inside or outside their ramshackle cabin
a day spent in idleness is nice, but a month of doing nothing is boring!
the idleness of the machine was apparent by its thick layer of dust
the car was idle for two weeks while they went on vacation
the company's competitors have not been idle in developing rival products
an idle employee who always seems to be either on break or at lunch
an idle act / idle speculation / an idle threat
Word Forms & Grammar
idler
idlest
idle·ness noun
idle
idleness
idlenesses
idly
idleness (countable and uncountable, plural idlenesses)
Words That Rhyme With Idleness
Origin of Idleness
Origin 1: Middle English idel, from Old English īdel; akin to Old High German ītal worthless
Origin 2: From Middle English ydelnesse, from Old English īdelnes, from Proto-West Germanic *īdlanassī, equivalent to idle + -ness. Cognate with Old Frisian īdelnisse (“idelness”), obsolete Dutch ijdelnis, Old Saxon īdalnussi (“idleness, vanity”), Old High German ītalnissa (“idleness, vanity, emptiness”).
First Known Use
before 12th century
How to Pronounce Idleness
You say idleness as /ˈī-dᵊl/. It has 2 syllables, with the main stress on the first syllable (ī).
Quick Answers About Idleness
What part of speech is idleness?
Idleness is an adjective.
What is another word for idleness?
Close synonyms of idleness are loafing, faineance and idling. See the full list of idleness synonyms and antonyms.
What is the opposite of idleness?
Words opposite in meaning to idleness are drive, industriousness, industry and ambition.