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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Many of these protagonists endure the tedium and humiliation of involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations, losing days and years to paralyzing inertia, and experiencing terrifying delusions of persecution and betrayal.—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
26 Mar. 2025 -
These aren’t failures of strategy—they’re natural expressions of behavioral inertia.—
Scott Hutcheson,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Cena's subsequent denial and inaction as Kane pushed Ryder off the Raw stage further tarnished his heroic image.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Apr. 2025
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The case comes as dozens of universities are under investigation by the Department of Education for alleged inaction on antisemitism.—
Lexi Lonas Cochran,
The Hill,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
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People who’ve grown up with difficult family dynamics, emotional neglect or trauma may find comfort in someone who has walked a similar path.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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Biden administration officials said the staffing rule was intended to limit cases of resident neglect or delays in care.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Cash for rent – Conservatives generally speaking hate the idea of profligate spending on social benefits, seeing them as entitlements that create indolence and a constituency for bureaucracy.—
Roger Valdez,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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The government insisted that the corn be sold rather than given away (free food would merely reinforce Irish indolence), and those who received it had little idea at first how to cook it.—
Fintan O'Toole,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The rescission power fell into disuse under Bill Clinton.—
The Editors,
National Review,
10 Mar. 2025
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But decades of disuse did not entirely dissipate their power.—
Nick Frisch,
Foreign Affairs,
17 May 2016
Noun
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Volunteers advocate for children who have been removed from their home from either abuse, abandonment or neglect.—
Joe Rassel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2025
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Over the past week, the attorneys laid out their case that childhood abuse by his father and an uncle left Ramos battered and traumatized, while his mother’s departure for Singapore to find work resulted in powerful feelings of abandonment.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacramento Bee,
25 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Idleness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idleness. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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