IDLENESS Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

idleness

noun

Definition of idleness

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in inaction

lack of action or activity a day spent in idleness is nice, but a month of doing nothing is boring!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of idleness By all accounts, Katherine was a formidable presence—intellectually engaged, fluent in multiple languages, a guiding force in her children’s lives—and the painting honors that, depicting her reading rather than posing in decorative idleness. — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026 During the eighteenth century, critics warned that novels would encourage idleness, emotional instability, and moral decline by pulling readers into imaginary worlds instead of real life. — Michael Edmondson, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026 Spending healthy years in idleness isn’t good for you. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2026 DeJean, who recorded the game-changing pick-six in Super Bowl LIX, couldn’t comprehend postseason idleness. — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026 All of which could lead to so much work that a man like Wyatt Harper might never have another day of idleness again. — Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for idleness

Noun

At this moment, complete inertia, helplessness, or escape seemed to be the only ways to react, but Zionism offered a strategy for coping with the changing circumstances, a strategy that had begun with Theodor Herzl.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
While the world security situation transforms at breakneck speed, the shipping industry, along with the maritime regulators and economic policymakers that back the merchant marine seem stuck, trapped in age-old bureaucratic inertia.

— Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of inertia

Noun

The author stresses the urgent need for better governance, strategic partnerships, and accountability to eliminate waste, as the human cost of inaction is too great.

— Ryan Dewey Smith, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Evan Curbeam, 29, was found dead near Fells Point in 2013; his father publicly criticized the city’s inaction the following year.

— Joseph V. Sakran, Baltimore Sun, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of inaction

Noun

Now, the City of Oakland is suing the property owner, Mosser Living, alleging elderly and disabled tenants were left stranded in their homes and that the prolonged elevator outage was part of a much broader pattern of neglect.

— CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Undiagnosed learning disabilities, trauma or neglect can also make ordinary frustration feel unmanageable.

— Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of neglect

Noun

Many traders feel pressure to remain fully invested because inactivity can feel unproductive.

— Brian Ferdinand, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
With the opponent’s next drive, plus media timeouts, or maybe Butker’s own offense stalling without a scoring opportunity, the inactivity adds up in real time.

— Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of inactivity

Noun

Built into a natural ravine, the stadium’s site was used for ancient Greek athletic contests and later Roman spectacles before falling into centuries of disuse.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
So long as effective communication persists, the reflex to mourn the disuse of a language can be motivated only by something else—nostalgia or, perhaps, the loss of a group’s ability to easily demarcate itself.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of disuse

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idled

idleness

idler

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“Idleness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idleness. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of idleness

noun

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