| 单词 | idle |
| 释义 | idle —idleness, n. —idly, adv. /uyd"l/, adj., idler, idlest, v. idled, idling, n. adj. 1. not working or active; unemployed; doing nothing: idle workers. 2. not spent or filled with activity: idle hours. 3. not in use or operation; not kept busy: idle machinery. 4. habitually doing nothing or avoiding work; lazy. 5. of no real worth, importance, or significance: idle talk. 6. having no basis or reason; baseless; groundless: idle fears. 7. frivolous; vain: idle pleasures. 8. meaningless; senseless: idle threats. 9. futile; unavailing: idle rage. v.i. 10. to pass time doing nothing. 11. to move, loiter, or saunter aimlessly: to idle along the avenue. 12. (of a machine, engine, or mechanism) to operate at a low speed, disengaged from the load. v.t. 13. to pass (time) doing nothing (often fol. by away): to idle away the afternoon. 14. to cause (a person) to be idle: The strike idled many workers. 15. to cause (a machine, engine, or mechanism) to idle: I waited in the car while idling the engine. n. 16. the state or quality of being idle. 17. the state of a machine, engine, or mechanism that is idling: a cold engine that stalls at idle. [bef. 900; 1915-20 for def. 12; ME, OE idel (adj.) empty, trifling, vain, useless; c. G eitel] Syn. 1. sluggish. IDLE, INDOLENT, LAZY, SLOTHFUL apply to a person who is not active. To be IDLE is to be inactive or not working at a job. The word is sometimes derogatory, but not always, since one may be relaxing temporarily or may be idle through necessity: pleasantly idle on a vacation; to be idle because one is unemployed or because supplies are lacking. The INDOLENT person is naturally disposed to avoid exertion: indolent and slow in movement; an indolent and contented fisherman. The LAZY person is averse to exertion or work, and esp. to continued application; the word is usually derogatory: too lazy to earn a living; incurably lazy. SLOTHFUL denotes a reprehensible unwillingness to carry one's share of the burden: so slothful as to be a burden on others. 5. worthless, trivial, trifling. 7. wasteful. 11. See loiter. 13. waste. Ant. 1. busy, industrious. 5. important, worthwhile. |
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