Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun idle
1 sense of idle
Sense 1
idle -- (the state of an engine or other mechanism that is idling; "the car engine was running at idle")
=> operation -- (the state of being in effect or being operative; "that rule is no longer in operation")
Antonyms of verb idle
2 senses of idle
Sense 1
idle, tick over -- (run disconnected or idle; "the engine is idling")
Antonym of run (Sense 13)
=> run -- (be operating, running or functioning; "The car is still running--turn it off!")
Sense 2
idle, laze, slug, stagnate -- (be idle; exist in a changeless situation; "The old man sat and stagnated on his porch"; "He slugged in bed all morning")
Antonym of work (Sense 1)
=> work -- (exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity; "I will work hard to improve my grades"; "she worked hard for better living conditions for the poor")
Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb idle
2 senses of idle
Sense 1
idle, tick over -- (run disconnected or idle; "the engine is idling")
Sense 2
idle, laze, slug, stagnate -- (be idle; exist in a changeless situation; "The old man sat and stagnated on his porch"; "He slugged in bed all morning")
Antonyms of adj idle
7 senses of idle
Sense 1
idle (vs. busy) -- (not in action or at work; "an idle laborer"; "idle drifters"; "the idle rich"; "an idle mind")
busy (vs. idle) -- (actively or fully engaged or occupied; "busy with her work"; "a busy man"; "too busy to eat lunch")
=> at work (predicate) -- (on the job; "had been at work for over an hour before her boss arrived")
=> drudging, laboring, labouring, toiling -- (doing arduous or unpleasant work; "drudging peasants"; "the bent backs of laboring slaves picking cotton"; "toiling coal miners in the black deeps")
=> engaged, occupied -- (having ones attention or mind or energy engaged; "she keeps herself fully occupied with volunteer activities"; "deeply engaged in conversation")
=> overbusy -- (too busy)
=> tied up (predicate) -- (kept occupied or engaged; "she's tied up at the moment and can't see you"; "the phone was tied up for almost an hour")
=> up to -- (busy or occupied with; "what have you been up to?"; "up to no good")
Sense 2
baseless, groundless, idle, unfounded, unwarranted, wild -- (without a basis in reason or fact; "baseless gossip"; "the allegations proved groundless"; "idle fears"; "unfounded suspicions"; "unwarranted jealousy")
INDIRECT (VIA unsupported) -> supported -- (sustained or maintained by aid (as distinct from physical support); "a club entirely supported by membership dues"; "well-supported allegations")
Sense 3
idle, unused -- (not in active use; "the machinery sat idle during the strike"; "idle hands")
INDIRECT (VIA inactive) -> active -- (full of activity or engaged in continuous activity; "an active seaport"; "an active bond market"; "an active account")
Sense 4
idle, light -- (silly or trivial; "idle pleasure"; "light banter"; "light idle chatter")
INDIRECT (VIA frivolous) -> serious -- (concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities; "a serious student of history"; "a serious attempt to learn to ski"; "gave me a serious look"; "a serious young man"; "are you serious or joking?"; "Don't be so serious!")
Sense 5
idle, loose -- (lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility; "idle talk"; "a loose tongue")
INDIRECT (VIA irresponsible) -> responsible -- (worthy of or requiring responsibility or trust; or held accountable; "a responsible adult"; "responsible journalism"; "a responsible position"; "the captain is responsible for the ship's safety"; "the cabinet is responsible to the parliament")
Sense 6
dead, idle -- (not yielding a return; "dead capital"; "idle funds")
INDIRECT (VIA unprofitable) -> profitable -- (yielding material gain or profit; "profitable speculation on the stock market")
Sense 7
idle, jobless, out of work -- (not having a job; "idle carpenters"; "jobless transients"; "many people in the area were out of work")
INDIRECT (VIA unemployed) -> employed -- (having your services engaged for; or having a job especially one that pays wages or a salary; "most of our graduates are employed")
Similarity of adj idle
7 senses of idle
Sense 1
idle (vs. busy) -- (not in action or at work; "an idle laborer"; "idle drifters"; "the idle rich"; "an idle mind")
=> bone-idle, bone-lazy -- (constitutionally lazy or idle)
=> faineant, indolent, lazy, otiose, slothful, work-shy -- (disinclined to work or exertion; "faineant kings under whose rule the country languished"; "an indolent hanger-on"; "too lazy to wash the dishes"; "shiftless idle youth"; "slothful employees"; "the unemployed are not necessarily work-shy")
=> lackadaisical -- (idle or indolent especially in a dreamy way; "she was annoyingly lackadaisical and impractical"; "a...lackadaisical, spiritless young man-about-town"- P.G.Wodehouse)
=> leisured -- (free from duties or responsibilities; "he writes in his leisure hours"; "life as it ought to be for the leisure classes"- J.J.Chapman; "even the artist and the sculptor were not regarded...as leisured men"- Ida Craven)
=> unengaged -- (not busy or occupied; free; "the cancellation left her unengaged a good part of the afternoon")
Also See-> ineffective#1, uneffective#1, ineffectual#1; unemployed#1
Sense 2
baseless, groundless, idle, unfounded, unwarranted, wild -- (without a basis in reason or fact; "baseless gossip"; "the allegations proved groundless"; "idle fears"; "unfounded suspicions"; "unwarranted jealousy")
=> unsupported (vs. supported) -- (not sustained or maintained by nonmaterial aid; "unsupported accusations")
Sense 3
idle, unused -- (not in active use; "the machinery sat idle during the strike"; "idle hands")
=> inactive (vs. active) -- (lacking activity; lying idle or unused; "an inactive mine"; "inactive accounts"; "inactive machinery")
Sense 4
idle, light -- (silly or trivial; "idle pleasure"; "light banter"; "light idle chatter")
=> frivolous (vs. serious) -- (not serious in content or attitude or behavior; "a frivolous novel"; "a frivolous remark"; "a frivolous young woman")
Sense 5
idle, loose -- (lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility; "idle talk"; "a loose tongue")
=> irresponsible (vs. responsible) -- (showing lack of care for consequences; "behaved like an irresponsible idiot"; "hasty and irresponsible action")
Sense 6
dead, idle -- (not yielding a return; "dead capital"; "idle funds")
=> unprofitable (vs. profitable) -- (producing little or no profit or gain; "deposits abandoned by mining companies as unprofitable")
Sense 7
idle, jobless, out of work -- (not having a job; "idle carpenters"; "jobless transients"; "many people in the area were out of work")
=> unemployed (vs. employed) -- (not engaged in a gainful occupation; "unemployed workers marched on the capital")
