idleness

noun

Definition of idlenessnext
1
as in inertia
an inclination not to do work or engage in activities the brothers' innate idleness meant that neither did much, either inside or outside their ramshackle cabin

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inaction
lack of action or activity a day spent in idleness is nice, but a month of doing nothing is boring!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in neglect
lack of use the idleness of the machine was apparent by its thick layer of dust

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for idleness
  1. inertia
  2. inaction
  3. neglect
  4. indolence
  5. disuse
  6. abandonment
Noun
  • Climate advocates are counting on the economic inertia of that type of clean tech spending to make climate action resilient to the coming changes in the White House.
    Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
  • This can help combat the tendency toward inertia that is often felt when new tools are implemented in an organization.
    Chris Cho, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of inertia
Noun
  • On the other hand, every action, inaction and reaction remains uncannily familiar, making Chowdhury’s restrained approach feel like the right one.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 Dec. 2024
  • But now, the timid Democrats through their inaction have convinced the American people that they cannot be trusted to lead or speak the truth.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
Definition of inaction
Noun
  • After years of neglect, that is seen as another area that needs strengthening in upcoming windows.
    Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024
  • January 1, 2024 Israel’s Self-Destruction By Aluf Benn Netanyahu, the Palestinians, and the price of neglect.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 22 Dec. 2024
Definition of neglect
Noun
  • The United States, however, has lost its capacity for self-government through stupendous intellectual indolence and the exaltation of puerilities, like Tayor Swift or Tom Brady, over thinkers like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius, and Montaigne.
    Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 23 June 2024
  • If slouching among privileged white Americans could indicate an enviable carelessness, it was seen as proof of indolence when adopted by the disadvantaged.
    Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Definition of indolence
Noun
  • And devotion, for the male anglerfish, means gripping on with his teeth to her underside until their bodies fuse together, his eyes fall into disuse, and their bloodstreams become one.
    Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024
  • The nation’s highest court has never ruled on Section 3, which fell into disuse after the 1870s, when most former Confederates were allowed back into government by congressional action.
    San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2024
Definition of disuse
Noun
  • McDonald plays her as a tragic heroine terrified of abandonment.
    Adam Moss, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2024
  • Volunteers advocate for children who have been removed from their home from either abuse, abandonment or neglect.
    Joe Rassel, Orlando Sentinel, 18 Dec. 2024
Definition of abandonment
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near idleness

idled

idleness

idler

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Cite this Entry

“Idleness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idleness. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on idleness

Nglish: Translation of idleness for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of idleness for Arabic Speakers

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