idleness

Definition of Idleness in English :

see synonyms of idleness

Noun

1. idleness, idling, loafing

having no employment

2. groundlessness, idleness

the quality of lacking substance or value

Example Sentences:
'the groundlessness of their report was quickly recognized'

groundlessness

3. faineance, idleness

the trait of being idle out of a reluctance to work

faineance

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.

Idleness

see synonyms of idleness

adjective

1.

unemployed or unoccupied; inactive

2.

not operating or being used

3.

(of money) not being used to earn interest or dividends

4.

not wanting to work; lazy

5. (usually prenominal)

frivolous or trivial

idle pleasures

6.

ineffective or powerless; fruitless; vain

7.

without basis; unfounded

verb

8. (when tr, often foll by away)

to waste or pass (time) fruitlessly or inactively

he idled the hours away

9. (intransitive)

to loiter or move aimlessly

10. (intransitive)

(of a shaft, engine, etc) to turn without doing useful work

11. (intransitive)

(of an engine) to run at low speed with the transmission disengaged

. Also (Brit): tick over

12. (transitive) US and Canadian

to cause to be inactive or unemployed

Idleness

see synonyms of idleness

adjectiveWord forms: ˈidler or ˈidlest

1.

a.

having no value, use, or significance; worthless; useless

idle talk

b.

vain; futile; pointless

an idle wish

2.

baseless; unfounded

idle rumors

3.

a.

unemployed; not busy

b.

inactive; not in use

idle machines

c.

not filled with activity

idle hours

4.

not inclined to work; lazy

5.

designating certain parts of a fuel system that set an engine's idling speed

verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈidled or ˈidling

6.

to move slowly or aimlessly; loaf

7.

to spend time unprofitably; be unemployed or inactive

8.

to operate without transmitting power; esp., to operate a motor vehicle's engine while the vehicle is not moving

verb transitive

9.

to waste; squander

usually with away

to idle away one's youth

10.

to cause (a motor, etc.) to idle

11.

to cause to be inactive or unemployed

noun

12.

the state or act of idling

an engine at idle

Idleness

see synonyms of idleness

adj. i·dler, i·dlest

1.

a. Not employed or busy: idle carpenters. See Synonyms at inactive.

b. Disinclined to work or be active; lazy: "a man who could seem idle, ignorant, even incompetent, yet was able to understand and to express ... the instincts, good and bad, of the American majority" (Godfrey Hodgson).

c. Not in use or operation: idle hands; idle mills.

d. Sports Not scheduled to play a game: Both teams played today but will be idle tomorrow.

2. Being a period of time in which there is little or no activity: passed idle hours watching TV.

3. Lacking substance, value, or basis: idle speculation; idle threats. See Synonyms at baseless, vain.

v. i·dled, i·dling, i·dles

v.intr.

1. To pass time without being engaged in purposeful activity: "The girls idled all day long, sending their tinkling laughter flowing up and down the street" (Alai).

2. To move slowly or without purpose: "I drove past the workshop ... I idled along the driveway past the pole fence ... to Tyhee Road" (Tom Spanbauer).

3. To run at a slow speed or out of gear. Used of a motor or motor vehicle.

v.tr.

1. To pass (time) without doing anything: idle the afternoon away.

2. To make or cause to be unemployed or inactive: layoffs that idled 1,000 factory workers; a plant that was idled by a strike.

3. To cause (a motor, for example) to idle.

n.

1. A state of idling. Used of a motor vehicle: an engine running quietly at idle.

2. A mechanism for regulating the speed at which an engine runs at rest: set the idle higher to keep the motor from stalling.

Idleness

Noun

Idleness

Idleness

Idleness

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