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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2
as in inaction
lack of action or activity
a day spent in idleness is nice, but a month of doing nothing is boring!
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3
as in neglect
lack of use
the idleness of the machine was apparent by its thick layer of dust
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idleness
Noun
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Every nation faces inertia, and breaking away from entrenched methods of production is challenging.—
Matthew Putman,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025 -
In the Gilded Age, a century ago, the U.S. was mired in political division and inertia, with absurdly high levels of income inequality and widespread distrust of institutions, especially government.—
Anastasia G Mcateer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 June 2025
Noun
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The tools exist, the use cases are real, and the cost of inaction is far too high.—
Markus Pflitsch,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
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Trump deserves credit for ignoring the voices in Washington who counsel inaction out of an understandable but often paralyzing fear of unintended consequences.—
The Editors,
National Review,
24 June 2025
Noun
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The Volusia Sheriff’s Office posted video of Scott Allen Gardner being apprehended on Thursday on charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect causing great bodily harm.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
20 June 2025
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London spoke about his case at a press conference earlier this month, where Barbara Fair, the executive director of Stop Solitary CT, referred to him as someone who had experienced medical neglect first-hand within the Department of Correction.—
Emilia Otte,
Hartford Courant,
20 June 2025
Noun
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Their waiter’s indolence meant a long wait even for menus, yet neither of them let drop a word of complaint.—
Jim Shepard,
New Yorker,
8 June 2025
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The idea of Irish indolence fused with a quasi-religious faith in the laws of the market to shape the British response to the famine.—
Fintan O'Toole,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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After falling into disuse in the late 20th century, the Corn Exchange has undergone a thoughtful revival.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
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Many vineyards fell into disuse and were abandoned during Prohibition, which lasted from 1920 until December 1933.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
3 June 2025
Noun
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In recent years, challenges from Russian aggression to Chinese mercantilism to American abandonment have revealed just how unprepared a demilitarized Europe is to handle old-fashioned power politics.—
Gideon Rose,
Foreign Affairs,
23 June 2025
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Global executives bemoan the negative impacts of poor customer onboarding and subsequent abandonment.—
Alfred Kahn,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Idleness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idleness. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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