1. Not in action or at work
   "an idle labourer"; "idle drifters"; "the idle rich"; "an idle mind" 
2. Without a basis in reason or fact
   "idle fears"
   - baseless, groundless, unfounded, unwarranted, wild 
3. Not in active use
   "the machinery sat idle during the strike"; "idle hands"
   - unused 
4. Silly or trivial
   "idle pleasure"; "light idle chatter"
   - light 
5. Lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility
   "idle talk"
   - loose 
6. Not yielding a return
   "idle funds"
   - dead 
7. Not having a job
   "idle carpenters"
   - jobless, out of work

1. Run disconnected or idle
   "the engine is idling"
   - tick over 
2. Be idle; exist in a changeless situation
   - laze, slug, stagnate

1. The state of an engine or other mechanism that is idling
   "the car engine was running at idle"

Sounds like: idol

Derived forms: idlest, idles, idler, idling, idled

See also: bone-idle, bone-lazy, fainéant, frivolous, idleness, idler, idly, inactive, indolent, ineffective, ineffectual, irresponsible, lackadaisical, lazy, leisured, otiose, slothful, uneffective, unemployed, unengaged, unprofitable, unsupported, work-shy

Type of: operation

Antonym: busy, run, work

Encyclopedia: Idle Idle, West Yorkshire

• never again
• never mind
• never-ending
• never-never
• never-never land
• never-say-die
• nevermore
• nevertheless
• Nevil Shute
• Nevil Shute Norway
• Neville Chamberlain
• nevirapine
• Nevis
• nevoid elephantiasis
• nevus
• nevus flammeus
• new
• New Age music
• New Agey
• New Amsterdam
• new ballgame
• New Britain
• New Brunswick
• New Caledonia
• New Caledonian