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)

(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

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

Derived terms

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)
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)
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 (cs)
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

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)

(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)

Derived terms

idler

Related terms

(sense 3) idling speed

Translations

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
Spanish: flojear (es)
Turkish: boşa harcamak

to lose or spend time doing nothing

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)
Swahili: zembea (sw)
Turkish: oyalanmak (tr), aylaklık etmek (tr)
Vietnamese: không hoạt động, ngồi không (vi)

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: al ralentí (es), ralentizar (es), ralentiar
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)

The state of idling, of being idle.
(mechanical engineering) The lowest selectable thrust or power setting of an engine.
Synonyms: full throttle, wide open
(gaming) An idle animation.
(gaming) An idle game.
Synonyms: idle game, incremental game

Hyponyms

References

idle on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
“idle”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →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

second-person plural imperative of ir combined with le