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
Relevance
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
Noun
-
In addition to facing political animosity and policy resistance, reforms to dial down DEI will also encounter institutional inertia.—
Wenyuan Wu,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2025 -
More news: Yankees, Dodgers, Mets Begin Pursuit of Roki Sasaki While the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are still listed as the favorites to sign Sasaki, some of that speculation might be inertia.—
Tim Ryan,
Newsweek,
17 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Skipping this deadline marks the second year Texas could be forfeiting benefits from this program, and advocates are concerned the state's pattern of inaction will leave vulnerable children without essential resources again this year.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Zoom out: In his Coinbase blog post Friday, Armstrong addressed world leaders and policy makers, arguing how crypto can accelerate economic freedom, and warning about the risks of inaction.—
Brady Dale,
Axios,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
That dynamic, the news organization found, has resulted in fraud, abuse and neglect of the state’s most vulnerable.—
Jake Pearson,
ProPublica,
15 Jan. 2025
-
The average student Oakmont teaches has had multiple adverse childhood experiences, serious traumas ranging from abuse and neglect to seeing their parents incarcerated or die to family drug addiction or other forms of instability.—
Michael McShane,
Forbes,
15 Jan. 2025
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
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
Noun
-
Volunteers advocate for children who have been removed from their home from either abuse, abandonment or neglect.—
Joe Rassel,
Orlando Sentinel,
15 Jan. 2025
-
Anxious Attachment: Children with anxious attachment often suffer from fear of abandonment.—
Christin Perry,
Parents,
6 Jan. 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Idleness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idleness. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share