Antonyms for idle
| Grammar : Adj |
| Spell : ahyd-l |
| Phonetic Transcription : ˈaɪd l |
Definition of idle
Origin :- Old English idel "empty, void; vain; worthless, useless; not employed," common West Germanic (cf. Old Saxon idal, Old Frisian idel "empty, worthless," Old Dutch idil, Old High German ital, German eitel "vain, useless, mere, pure"), of unknown origin. Idle threats preserves original sense; meaning "lazy" is c.1300.
- adj worthless, ineffective
- I confess, Eudora, it pained me to see you listen to his idle flattery.
- Extract from : « Philothea » by Lydia Maria Child
- Aspasia will tell you I have been a beautiful but idle dreamer all my life.
- Extract from : « Philothea » by Lydia Maria Child
- We are not now about to give him any idle panegyric on the occasion.
- Extract from : « Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327 » by Various
- Did you bring your work, girls, or is it to be a case of idle hands?
- Extract from : « Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton Campus » by Jessie Graham Flower
- He had seen much of her during the week, and he knew she had not been idle.
- Extract from : « Ester Ried Yet Speaking » by Isabella Alden
- While Demosthenes argued, and Nicias demurred, Gylippus had not been idle.
- Extract from : « Stories from Thucydides » by H. L. Havell
- If we are called to help in this work, there is no time for an idle minute.
- Extract from : « The Call of the Twentieth Century » by David Starr Jordan
- If she were merely travelling in idle curiosity--well, she ought not to lie!
- Extract from : « The Leopard Woman » by Stewart Edward White
- Nellie was huddled against her mother, who sat, idle, with little Benny in her arms.
- Extract from : « Dust » by Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
- Do not, my dear, let any idle scruples prevent you from coming to my house.
- Extract from : « Tales And Novels, Volume 5 (of 10) » by Maria Edgeworth
Synonyms for idle
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019