What is another word for idle?

Across its 10 senses, idle has 15 distinct synonyms: baseless, groundless, unfounded, unwarranted, wild, unused, light, loose, and others. Each belongs to a specific meaning, listed on this page under the sense it serves.

What is the opposite of idle?

The recorded antonyms are busy, run, work. Opposites are sense-specific too: this page shows which meaning each one is the opposite of, because a word rarely has a single opposite that holds for all of its senses.

Why are the synonyms for idle split into groups?

Because idle carries 10 recorded senses and each has its own set of substitutes. A single flat list would put words from unrelated meanings side by side with nothing to tell them apart, which is exactly how a writer picks the wrong one. The grouping comes from WordNet's synsets, not from an editorial judgement of ours.

Where do the synonyms for idle come from?

From Princeton University's WordNet, a lexical database maintained by lexicographers since 1985. A synonym here means a word form that shares a synset with this word — a set of forms interchangeable in one recorded context. Nothing on this page is generated by a language model.

Synonyms and antonyms

idle

idle/ˈaɪdəl/

adjectiveverbnounFamiliar

idle has 15 distinct synonyms spread across 8 of its 10 senses. Each sense below keeps its own list, because a synonym belongs to a meaning and not to a word: swapping one sense's substitute into another sense's sentence is how a thesaurus makes writing worse. Its 3 recorded opposites are busy, run, work.

15
Distinct synonyms: 3
Antonyms: 10 of 10
Senses with a relation

Counts are distinct word forms across every sense. A synonym that appears under three senses is counted once here and shown three times below, under each sense it belongs to.

idle as an adjective

7 of 7 senses carry a relation

1.
not in action or at work
“an idle laborer”
SynonymsNo synonym recorded for this sense.
Antonymsbusy
2.
without a basis in reason or fact
“baseless gossip”
Synonymsbaseless groundless unfounded unwarranted wild
3.
not in active use
“the machinery sat idle during the strike”
Synonymsunused
4.
silly or trivial
“idle pleasure”
Synonymslight
5.
lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility
“idle talk”
Synonymsloose
6.
not yielding a return
“dead capital”
Synonymsdead
7.
not having a job
“idle carpenters”
Synonymsjobless out of work

idle as a verb

2 of 2 senses carry a relation

1.
run disconnected or idle
“the engine is idling”
Synonymstick over
Antonymsrun
2.
be idle; exist in a changeless situation
“The old man sat and stagnated on his porch”
Synonymslaze slug stagnate
Antonymswork
Related
Narrowermoon ride the bench daydream bum lie about

idle as a noun

1 of 1 sense carry a relation

1.
the state of an engine or other mechanism that is idling
“the car engine was running at idle”
SynonymsNo synonym recorded for this sense.
Related
Broaderoperation

Questions about idle

What is another word for idle?: Across its 10 senses, idle has 15 distinct synonyms: baseless, groundless, unfounded, unwarranted, wild, unused, light, loose, and others. Each belongs to a specific meaning, listed on this page under the sense it serves.
What is the opposite of idle?: The recorded antonyms are busy, run, work. Opposites are sense-specific too: this page shows which meaning each one is the opposite of, because a word rarely has a single opposite that holds for all of its senses.
Why are the synonyms for idle split into groups?: Because idle carries 10 recorded senses and each has its own set of substitutes. A single flat list would put words from unrelated meanings side by side with nothing to tell them apart, which is exactly how a writer picks the wrong one. The grouping comes from WordNet's synsets, not from an editorial judgement of ours.
Where do the synonyms for idle come from?: From Princeton University's WordNet, a lexical database maintained by lexicographers since 1985. A synonym here means a word form that shares a synset with this word — a set of forms interchangeable in one recorded context. Nothing on this page is generated by a language model.

Other views of idle

Synonyms, antonyms and the broader and narrower relations for idle come from Princeton University’s WordNet. Full sources and licences.

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Synonyms and antonyms

idle

idle/ˈaɪdəl/

adjectiveverbnounFamiliar

15
Distinct synonyms: 3
Antonyms: 10 of 10
Senses with a relation

Counts are distinct word forms across every sense. A synonym that appears under three senses is counted once here and shown three times below, under each sense it belongs to.

idle as an adjective

7 of 7 senses carry a relation

1.
not in action or at work
“an idle laborer”
SynonymsNo synonym recorded for this sense.
Antonymsbusy
2.
without a basis in reason or fact
“baseless gossip”
Synonymsbaseless groundless unfounded unwarranted wild
3.
not in active use
“the machinery sat idle during the strike”
Synonymsunused
4.
silly or trivial
“idle pleasure”
Synonymslight
5.
lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility
“idle talk”
Synonymsloose
6.
not yielding a return
“dead capital”
Synonymsdead
7.
not having a job
“idle carpenters”
Synonymsjobless out of work

idle as a verb

2 of 2 senses carry a relation

1.
run disconnected or idle
“the engine is idling”
Synonymstick over
Antonymsrun
2.
be idle; exist in a changeless situation
“The old man sat and stagnated on his porch”
Synonymslaze slug stagnate
Antonymswork
Related
Narrowermoon ride the bench daydream bum lie about

idle as a noun

1 of 1 sense carry a relation

1.
the state of an engine or other mechanism that is idling
“the car engine was running at idle”
SynonymsNo synonym recorded for this sense.
Related
Broaderoperation

Questions about idle

What is another word for idle?: Across its 10 senses, idle has 15 distinct synonyms: baseless, groundless, unfounded, unwarranted, wild, unused, light, loose, and others. Each belongs to a specific meaning, listed on this page under the sense it serves.
What is the opposite of idle?: The recorded antonyms are busy, run, work. Opposites are sense-specific too: this page shows which meaning each one is the opposite of, because a word rarely has a single opposite that holds for all of its senses.
Why are the synonyms for idle split into groups?: Because idle carries 10 recorded senses and each has its own set of substitutes. A single flat list would put words from unrelated meanings side by side with nothing to tell them apart, which is exactly how a writer picks the wrong one. The grouping comes from WordNet's synsets, not from an editorial judgement of ours.
Where do the synonyms for idle come from?: From Princeton University's WordNet, a lexical database maintained by lexicographers since 1985. A synonym here means a word form that shares a synset with this word — a set of forms interchangeable in one recorded context. Nothing on this page is generated by a language model.

Other views of idle

Synonyms, antonyms and the broader and narrower relations for idle come from Princeton University’s WordNet. Full sources and licences.

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idle

idle as an adjective

idle as a verb

idle as a noun

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idle

idle as an adjective

idle as a verb

idle as a noun

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