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

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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
  • 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
  • And the inertia of dark things is stronger than any law of physics.
    Kayla Aletha Welch, Longreads, 19 Nov. 2024
Definition of inertia
Noun
  • The unknowable impact of vast, fast change left Syria mired in half-policies and US inaction before.
    Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 7 Dec. 2024
  • But inaction can also cost you time, money and growth opportunities.
    Janet Lam, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
Definition of inaction
Noun
  • Lewis, 57, was charged with one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and Scala, 67, was charged with fourth-degree abuse and neglect of children.
    Landon Mion, Fox News, 15 Dec. 2024
  • Many of the babies born in the Magdalene Laundries, died from starvation, from the cold and from neglect.
    Maelle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 13 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
  • 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
  • Ironically, despite using several filmmaking techniques and styles from the silent era that have long since fallen into disuse, Shadow of the Vampire is a vital new lens through which to view the foundational vampire story.
    James Grebey, TIME, 18 Oct. 2024
Definition of disuse
Noun
  • Volunteers advocate for children who have been removed from their home from either abuse, abandonment or neglect.
    Joe Rassel, Orlando Sentinel, 4 Dec. 2024
  • Inconsistent caregiving, meanwhile, can lead to anxious attachment, where people crave intimacy but simultaneously fear abandonment and rejection.
    Ian Randall, Newsweek, 4 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 21 Dec. 2024.

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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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