idle

idle — adjective

1. When machines, equipment, or factories are not operating or being used at a give

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

When machines, equipment, or factories are not operating or being used at a given time, they are idle.

Example

The factory's machines have sat idle since the strike began last month.

sit idle — collocation for machines not operating

With all the computers idle, the office felt strangely quiet.

Common collocations
  • sit idle
  • stand idle
  • lie idle
  • idle machinery
  • idle factory
Synonyms
  • inactive

    broader — covers machines, people, or systems not currently active

  • unused

    focuses on the object not being put to use, regardless of whether it could be

  • dormant

    implies a temporary state with potential to become active again

Antonyms
  • active

    currently operating or in use

  • working

    in operation or functioning

Usage Note

Often used with 'sit', 'stand', or 'lie': 'sit idle', 'stand idle', 'lie idle'. For people without jobs, use sense 3 (UNEMPLOYED) instead.

Common Mistakes

The workers have been idle since the factory shut.' (ambiguous — could mean lazy or jobless).
The workers have been unemployed since the factory shut.
Use 'unemployed' for people without jobs to avoid confusion with the LAZY sense.

2. Describes a stretch of time when a person has no scheduled work or duties and ca

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

Describes a stretch of time when a person has no scheduled work or duties and can rest or do something enjoyable.

Example

In her idle moments, Aoi likes to sketch the trees outside her window.

idle + moments — describes free time between tasks

Quinn spent the idle hours between flights reading a novel.

Common collocations
  • idle moment
  • idle hour
  • idle period
  • idle time
Synonyms
  • free

    more general — 'free time' is the common expression; 'idle time' is more formal

  • empty

    less common; 'empty hours' implies boredom, while 'idle hours' is neutral

Antonyms
  • busy

    filled with activity or work

Grammar Patterns

idle + time noun (moment/period/hour)

Usage Note

Used before nouns of time (moment, period, hour, day). This sense cannot describe a person — 'an idle person' means lazy (sense 5), not a person with free time.

3. A person who is idle has no paid work and is not currently employed.

3.adjectiveB1
Definition

A person who is idle has no paid work and is not currently employed.

Example

After the mine closed, half the town was left idle for over a year.

be left idle — passive construction for loss of employment

Yael has been idle since the company let her go in March.

Common collocations
  • be left idle
  • be idle
  • idle workforce
Synonyms
  • unemployed

    the more common everyday word; 'idle' is slightly more formal in this sense

  • jobless

    more direct and informal than 'idle'

  • out of work

    phrasal alternative, very common in conversation

Antonyms

Usage Note

Applies only to people without jobs. For machines or equipment not operating, use sense 1 (NOT IN USE). Less common than 'unemployed' in everyday speech; 'idle' in this sense has a slightly more formal or literary tone.

Common Mistakes

The printer has been idle since last week.' (machine).
The printer has been out of use since last week.
For machines, sense 1 works: 'the printer sat idle' is correct, but 'the printer is idle' may confuse readers between senses 1 and 3.

4. Actions, words, or thoughts that lack a real purpose, practical value, or meanin

4.adjectiveB2
Definition

Actions, words, or thoughts that lack a real purpose, practical value, or meaningful effect.

Example

The meeting was full of idle talk that led to no decisions.

idle talk — purposeless conversation with no outcome

Salma dismissed the warning as an idle threat from an angry competitor.

Common collocations
  • idle talk
  • idle gossip
  • idle curiosity
  • idle threat
  • idle question
  • idle speculation
Synonyms
  • pointless

    more direct and negative; 'idle' is softer and often neutral

  • vain

    formal, implies futility; 'idle threat' and 'vain attempt' are fixed patterns

  • empty

    suggests lacking substance; 'empty promise' overlaps with 'idle promise'

Antonyms
  • meaningful

    having real purpose or value

  • serious

    carrying genuine intent, especially of threats or promises

Grammar Patterns

idle + abstract noun (talk/gossip/curiosity/threat/question)

Usage Note

Common in fixed phrases: 'idle curiosity' (interest without real need to know), 'idle gossip' (talk with no useful purpose), 'idle threat' (not intended to be carried out). This sense is about the nature of the action or words, not about a person's character — contrast with sense 5 (LAZY).

Common Mistakes

He is an idle student who never studies.' (lazy, not purposeless).
That was just idle curiosity
I do not need the details.' — Sense 4 describes the action/words, not the person's character.

5. Someone who avoids work or effort and chooses to do nothing instead of useful ta

5.adjectiveB2
Definition

Someone who avoids work or effort and chooses to do nothing instead of useful tasks.

Example

The manager scolded the idle workers who had been hiding in the storage room.

idle + person — describes a person's character or behaviour

Anong's idle son spends all day playing video games instead of looking for a job.

Common collocations
  • idle person
  • idle worker
  • idle son/daughter
Synonyms
  • lazy

    more common in everyday speech; 'idle' is more formal or literary

  • indolent

    formal, suggests a love of ease and avoidance of exertion

  • shiftless

    strongly negative, implies lack of ambition or initiative

Antonyms

Usage Note

This sense carries disapproval and describes a person's character or habitual behaviour. It is less common in modern English than 'lazy' and can sound old-fashioned or literary. Distinguish from sense 4 (PURPOSELESS): sense 4 describes actions/words lacking purpose; sense 5 describes a person unwilling to work.

Common Mistakes

Idle gossip wasted our time.' (purposeless talk — should be sense 4).
My idle neighbour never mows his lawn.
Sense 5 describes a lazy person.
Idioms

the devil makes work for idle hands

idiom

People who have nothing to do may get into trouble or do bad things.

After losing his job, Tom started shoplifting; the devil makes work for idle hands.

Maya keeps her children busy with activities because she believes the devil makes work for idle hands.

idle — verb

Word family

  • idleness
    nounB2
  • idly
    adverbB2
  • idler
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These words all describe something not currently in operation, but differ in scope and implication. Idle (adj/1) applies specifically to machines, equipment, or factories that are temporarily not operating — the factory 'sits idle' because nothing is being produced. Inactive is broader, covering anything from people ('an inactive member') to volcanoes ('an inactive volcano') to accounts ('an inactive bank account'). Dormant suggests a state of rest with the potential to become active again — a dormant computer, a dormant volcano, or dormant seeds. Unused focuses purely on the object not being put to use, without implying whether it could be: 'unused furniture' might simply have been forgotten. Choose idle when you mean a temporary halt in operation with the expectation of resuming; use dormant when there is potential for future activity; use inactive for a neutral state across any domain; and use unused for objects that are simply not being employed.

idleinactivedormantunused

Common collocations

Nouns

  • idle time
  • idle hours
  • idle moments
  • idle hands

Adverbs

  • idly

Phrases

  • sit idle
  • stand idle
  • lie idle
  • leave idle

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Idle comes from Old English īdel, meaning 'empty, worthless, vain'. It is related to Dutch ijdel and German eitel, both meaning 'vain' or 'empty'. The original sense of 'empty' gradually shifted toward 'not working' (applied to both people and machines) in Middle English. The verb sense for engines emerged later with the Industrial Revolution, when machines could run without performing useful work.