idle

The word “idle” has 2 syllables: i-dle

It's pronounced as /ˈaɪdəl/


What is synonym and antonym for idle?

In the thesaurus, “idle” has 111 synonyms and 74 antonyms.

Here are synonyms and antonyms for idle along with examples of usage in sentences.


Synonyms for idle

Antonyms for idle

  • active
  • alive
  • ambitious
  • animated
  • apply
  • assiduous
  • bouncing
  • brisk
  • busy
  • diligent
  • drudge
  • dynamic
  • effective
  • employed
  • energetic
  • enterprising
  • exert
  • exuberant
  • feasible
  • frisky
  • functional
  • functioning
  • going
  • grind
  • grub
  • hump
  • hustle
  • hustling
  • important
  • industrious
  • jaunty
  • jazzy
  • labor
  • lively
  • living
  • moil
  • on
  • operable
  • operating
  • operational
  • operative
  • peg
  • peppy
  • perky
  • pert
  • plod
  • plow
  • plug
  • practical
  • productive
  • put out
  • running
  • sedulous
  • slave
  • snappy
  • spirited
  • sprightly
  • springy
  • sweat
  • toil
  • travail
  • usable
  • useable
  • used
  • useful
  • viable
  • vigorous
  • vivacious
  • work
  • workable
  • working
  • worthwhile
  • zealous
  • zippy

Meanings of idle

  • noun
    1. An idle animation.
    2. An idle game.
  • verb
    1. To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume.
    2. To lose or spend time doing nothing, or without being employed in business.
    3. Of an engine: to run at a slow speed, or out of gear; to tick over.
  • adjective
    1. Empty, vacant.
    2. Not being used appropriately; not occupied; (of time) with no, no important, or not much activity.
    3. Not engaged in any occupation or employment; unemployed; inactive; doing nothing in particular.
    4. Averse to work, labor or employment; lazy; slothful.
    5. Of no importance; useless; worthless; vain; trifling; thoughtless; silly.
    6. Light-headed; foolish.

Example Sentences

  • Idle chatter filled the room as we waited for the meeting to begin.
  • Leaving machinery idle for prolonged periods can lead to mechanical issues.
  • Sarah felt idle without a project to work on, so she decided to start a new book.
  • The engine remained idle while we waited for the traffic light to change.
  • It's important not to let your mind go idle, always seek ways to keep learning and growing.

On this page you'll find 185 synonyms, antonyms, or another words to idle, such as: abeyant, abortive, active, aestivate, alive, ambitious, amble.

Make sure to choose synonyms and antonyms that are appropriate for the context of the sentence.

Related Words

abandoned

abeyant

  • arrested
  • asleep
  • comatose
  • dead
  • dormant
  • dull
  • fallow
  • free
  • idle
  • inactive
  • inert
  • inoperable
  • inoperative
  • interrupted
  • latent
  • lifeless
  • moribund
  • off
  • quiescent
  • sleeping
  • sleepy
  • slow
  • suspended
  • unoccupied
  • unusable
  • unused
  • unworkable
  • useless
  • vacant

dabble

  • amuse
  • amuse oneself with
  • be amateur
  • cavort
  • dally
  • dawdle
  • delight
  • dilly-dally
  • disport
  • divert
  • entertain
  • fiddle with
  • flirt with
  • frisk
  • frolic
  • gambol
  • goldbrick
  • hang
  • hang about
  • horse around
  • idle
  • jest
  • joke
  • kid around
  • loaf
  • mess around
  • monkey
  • monkey around
  • muck around
  • not be serious
  • play
  • play around
  • play games with
  • please
  • recreate
  • relax
  • rest
  • rollick
  • romp
  • screw around
  • skylark
  • sport
  • tease
  • toy
  • toy with
  • trifle
  • trifle with
  • work superficially

dallied

  • aestivated
  • ambled
  • amused
  • be insincere with
  • boondoggle
  • bummed
  • carry on
  • cavorted
  • chilled
  • coquetted
  • cosset
  • courted
  • crawled
  • crept
  • dabbled
  • dawdled
  • decelerated
  • delayed
  • delighted
  • diddled
  • dillydallied
  • disported
  • diverted
  • dozed
  • drag
  • dragged
  • droned
  • dropped behind
  • eased
  • entertained
  • estivated
  • fell behind
  • filibustered
  • flirted
  • fool around
  • fool with
  • fooled
  • fooled around
  • footled
  • frisked
  • fritter away
  • frivol
  • frivoled
  • frivolled
  • frolic
  • frolicked
  • furloughed
  • gambol
  • gamboled
  • gambolled
  • goldbricked
  • hang about
  • hanged
  • have a fling
  • hibernated
  • horse around
  • hung
  • hung about
  • hung fire
  • idle
  • idled
  • inched
  • jerk off
  • jested
  • joked
  • joshed
  • kicked around
  • kicked back
  • kidded
  • killed time
  • lag
  • lagged
  • lallygagged
  • lazed
  • lazied
  • lead on
  • led on
  • linger
  • lingered
  • loafed
  • loiter
  • loitered
  • lolled
  • lollygag
  • lollygagged
  • lounged
  • lumbered
  • malingered
  • manipulated
  • marked time
  • mashed
  • messed
  • messed around
  • monkeyed
  • moped
  • moseyed
  • mucked
  • piddled
  • play around
  • play games with
  • played
  • pleased
  • plodded
  • poked
  • procrastinate
  • procrastinated
  • put off
  • put on
  • putter
  • razzed
  • recreated
  • relaxed
  • rested
  • ribbed
  • rollick
  • rollicked
  • romp
  • romped
  • sauntered
  • screwed around
  • shilly-shallied
  • shuffled
  • skylarked
  • sported
  • staggered
  • stalled
  • strolled
  • strung along
  • swanned
  • tamper
  • tarried
  • tarry
  • teased
  • temporized
  • toyed
  • trail
  • trifle with
  • trifled
  • truanted
  • vamped
  • vegged out
  • wanton
  • waste time
  • while away
  • wooed

dally

  • aestivate
  • amble
  • amuse
  • boondoggle
  • bum
  • cavort
  • chill
  • coquet
  • coquette
  • court
  • crawl
  • creep
  • dabble
  • dawdle
  • decelerate
  • delay
  • delight
  • diddle
  • dillydally
  • disport
  • divert
  • doze
  • drag
  • drone
  • drop behind
  • ease
  • entertain
  • estivate
  • fall behind
  • filibuster
  • flirt
  • fool
  • fool around
  • fool with
  • footle
  • frisk
  • fritter away
  • frivol
  • frolic
  • furlough
  • gambol
  • goldbrick
  • hang
  • hang about
  • hang fire
  • hibernate
  • horse around
  • idle
  • inch
  • jerk off
  • jest
  • joke
  • josh
  • kick around
  • kick back
  • kid
  • kill time
  • lag
  • lallygag
  • laze
  • lazy
  • lead on
  • linger
  • loaf
  • loiter
  • loll
  • lollygag
  • lounge
  • lumber
  • malinger
  • manipulate
  • mark time
  • mash
  • mess
  • mess around
  • monkey
  • mope
  • mosey
  • muck
  • piddle
  • play
  • play around
  • play games with
  • please
  • plod
  • poke
  • procrastinate
  • put off
  • put on
  • putter
  • razz
  • recreate
  • relax
  • rest
  • rib
  • rollick
  • romp
  • saunter
  • screw around
  • shilly-shally
  • shuffle
  • skylark
  • sport
  • stagger
  • stall
  • string along
  • stroll
  • swan
  • tarry
  • tease
  • temporize
  • toy
  • trail
  • trifle
  • trifle with
  • truant
  • vamp
  • veg out
  • waste time
  • while away
  • woo

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