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Added 2 October 2026

idle

/ˈaɪd(ə)l/ adjective

In Latin: deses Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about idle at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Empty, vacant.
Not being used appropriately; not occupied; (of time) with no, no important, or not much activity.
idle hours
Not engaged in any occupation or employment; unemployed; inactive; doing nothing in particular.
idle workmen

verb

To spend (time) in idleness; to waste; to consume.
To lose or spend time doing nothing, or without being employed in business.
to idle in an IRC channel
Of an engine: to run at a slow speed, or out of gear; to tick over.

noun

The state of idling, of being idle.
The lowest selectable thrust or power setting of an engine.
a lumpy idle
An idle animation.

Origin

From Middle English idel, ydel, from Old English īdel, from Proto-West Germanic *īdl, from Proto-Germanic *īdlaz. Cognate with Dutch ijdel (“vain, meaningless”), ijl (“rareified, skinny”), iel (“thin, slender”); German Low German iedel (“vain, idle”); German eitel (“vain, conceited”); and possibly Old Norse illr ("bad"; > English ill).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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