Idle

/ˈaɪdəl/

Meaning & Definition

verb

To spend time doing nothing; to wait around.

He idled away the hours watching television.

adjective

Not active or not in use; doing nothing.

After finishing his project, he spent an idle afternoon reading a book.

Inactive; not having any effect or purpose.

The machinery sat idle during the power outage.

Without purpose or effect; pointless.

They engaged in idle chatter while waiting for the movie to start.

Old English 'īdeles', meaning 'empty, void'.

idle hands are the devil's workshop

A saying suggesting that inactivity can lead to mischief.

idle chatter

Conversations that are trivial or unimportant.

to be idle

To not do any work or activity.

idleness

The state of being idle; laziness.

idly

In an idle manner; without work or activity.

idlewild

A place or state being wild or untamed, often with no specific purpose.

Laid back; relaxed.

He was feeling really idle today, just lounging around.

Doing nothing in a casual way.

We spent the whole afternoon just being idle at the beach.