idleness

idleness
I
(Roget's IV) n.
1. [State of being inactive]
Syn. loafing, loitering, lounging, idling, time-killing, dawdling, inertia, inactivity, indolence, sluggishness, unemployment, joblessness, torpor, otiosity, dormancy, lethargy, stupor, puttering, trifling, truancy, droning, vegetation, dallying, dalliance, shilly-shallying, dilly-dallying, fooling around*, goofing off*, lollygagging*, goldbricking*; see also leisure .
Ant. industry, action*, occupation.
2. [Disinclination to activity]
Syn. slowness, indolence, slothfulness; see laziness .
II
(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun 1. A lack of action or activity: inaction, inactivity, inertness, inoperativeness, stagnation. See ACTION. 2. The quality or state of being lazy: indolence, laziness, shiftlessness, sloth, slothfulness, sluggardness, sluggishness. Informal: do-nothingism. See INDUSTRIOUS.

English dictionary for students. 2013.

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  • Idleness — I dle*ness, n. [AS. [=i]delnes.] The condition or quality of being idle (in the various senses of that word); uselessness; fruitlessness; triviality; inactivity; laziness. Syn: Inaction; indolence; sluggishness; sloth. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • idleness — index desuetude, inaction, languor, lull, neglect, nonperformance, sloth Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton …   Law dictionary

  • idleness — (n.) O.E. idelnes frivolity, vanity, emptiness; vain existence; see IDLE (Cf. idle) + NESS (Cf. ness). Old English expressed the idea we attach to in vain by in idelnisse. Spenser, Scott, and others use idlesse to mean the same thing in a… …   Etymology dictionary

  • idleness — [n] laziness, inaction dawdling, dillydallying*, dormancy, droning, goof off time*, hibernation, inactivity, indolence, inertia, joblessness, laze, lazing, leisure, lethargy, loafing, loitering, otiosity, own sweet time*, pottering, shiftlessness …   New thesaurus

  • idleness — tinginiavimas statusas T sritis švietimas apibrėžtis Sąmoningas, tyčinis darbo ar pareigos atlikimo vengimas. Vaikai nemoka tyčia vengti darbo, bet kai kurie veikia labai nerangiai, atidėlioja darbą arba neatlieka paskirtų užduočių. Kartais… …   Enciklopedinis edukologijos žodynas

  • idleness — see idleness is the root of all evil …   Proverbs new dictionary

  • idleness — idle ► ADJECTIVE (idler, idlest) 1) avoiding work; lazy. 2) not working or in use. 3) having no purpose or basis: idle threats. ► VERB 1) spend time doing nothing. 2) (of an engine) run slowly w …   English terms dictionary

  • idleness is the root of all evil — The idea is attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Cf. early 14th cent. Fr. oiseuseté atrait viches, idleness attracts vices; c 1390 CHAUCER Second Nun’s Prologue 1.1 The ministre and the norice [nurse] unto vices, which that men clepe [call] in …   Proverbs new dictionary

  • idleness — noun see idle I …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • idleness — See idle. * * * …   Universalium

  • idleness — noun a) The state of being idle; inactivity. b) The state of being indolent; indolence …   Wiktionary

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