Synonyms of idle

120 similar words

Another word for idle is passive. Other synonyms of idle are unemployed, inert, old-fashioned, latent and elderly.

Synonyms and similar words for idle

adjectiveEmpty, vacant.

bare
leer
voidNot producing any effect; ineffectual; vain.

adjectiveNot being used appropriately; not occupied; (of time) with no, no important, or not much activity.

dormant
quiescentInactive, quiet, at rest.
suspended
abeyantBeing in a state of abeyance; suspended.
at rest
dullSluggish, listless.
fallow figuratively
hibernating
inactiveNot functioning or operating; broken down.
inertUnable to move or act; inanimate.
languidOf a thing: lacking energy, liveliness, or strength; inactive, slow-moving, weak.
latentRemaining in an inactive or hidden phase; dormant.
nonactiveNot active; inactive; inert.
passiveTaking no action.
silent
slow
standing by
torpidDormant or hibernating.
unactiveNot active; inactive.
unbusyNot busy.
unemployedHaving no use, not doing work.
unoccupiedNot employed on a task; idle.
cessant obsoleteDormant, inactive.
sedent archaicSitting; inactive or still.
sedentary obsolete

adjectiveNot engaged in any occupation or employment; unemployed; inactive; doing nothing in particular.

unbusiedNot required to work; unemployed; not busy.
workless
anachronisticErroneous in date; containing an anachronism; in a wrong time; not applicable to or not appropriate for the time.
antediluvianOf attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent; antiquated.
antiquatedOld-fashioned, out of date.
antique
archaic
backwardLacking progressive or enlightened thought; outdated.
backwardsSynonym of backward; see usage notes there.
behind the timesOut of date; old-fashioned; obsolete; outmoded; outdated.
cobwebbed figuratively
cobwebby figuratively
dated
defunctNo longer in use or active, nor expected to be again.
desueteDisused; out of use.
discontinued
disusedNo longer in use.
dootsie UK, dialectal
elderlyOf an object, being old-fashioned or frail due to aging.
extinctOf customs, ideas, laws and legal rights, offices, organizations, languages, etc.: no longer existing or in use...
expired
fossilized
HavishamesqueStuck in the past; also, refusing to accept change or failure.
hoary figurativelyOld or old-fashioned; trite.
Miss HavishamesqueSynonym of Havishamesque.
mouldy figurativelyShowing signs of neglect; disused.
obsolete
old
oldfangledOld-fashioned.
old-fashionedOf an object, outdated or no longer in vogue.
old schoolNow often old-school: characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was...
outdated
outmodedObsolete.
out of date
out of fashionUnfashionable, not in fashion.
outworn
parachronisticBelonging to an earlier time; too old to be used; primitive; out of date.
passé
primitiveCrude, obsolete.
superannuatedObsolete, antiquated.
superseded
venerableAncient, antiquated or archaic.
between jobs euphemisticUnemployed.
employmentally challenged euphemisticUnemployed; jobless.
jobless
nonemployedNot employed; unemployed.
occupationlessHaving no occupation; jobless; idle.
on the wallaby Australia, slangSynonym of on the wallaby track.
on the wallaby track Australia, slangOut of work; unemployed.
out of a jobHaving lost one's job; unemployed.
out of work
resting euphemistic
antediluvial rareAntiquated.

adjectiveAverse to work, labor or employment; lazy; slothful.

indolent
bone-idleUtterly lazy.
fainéant literary
lackadaisicalLazy; slothful; indolent.
lazyUnwilling to do work or make an effort; disinclined to exertion.
otioseHaving no effect.
slothfulLazy; idle; tending to sloth.
sluggishHabitually idle and lazy; slothful; dull; inactive.
swear dialectalDull; lazy; slow.
work-shy
lither archaic, dialectalLazy, slothful; listless.

adjectiveOf no importance; useless; worthless; vain; trifling; thoughtless; silly.

pettyHaving little or no importance.
pointless
baseOf low value or degree.
contemptible
foolish
for the birds informalNot deserving serious consideration; unimportant; useless, worthless.
futile
frivolousOf little weight or importance; not worth notice; slight; trivial.
ignorable
immaterialOf no importance; inconsequential, insignificant, unimportant.
inconsequentialHaving no consequence; not consequential; of little importance.
inconsiderableToo unimportant to be worthy of attention.
indifferentNot making a difference; without significance or importance.
insignificant
like a fart in a windstorm
meager
mean
minor
miserableWretched; worthless; mean; contemptible.
negligibleAble to be neglected, ignored or excluded from consideration; too small or unimportant to be of concern.
nothingburger informalOf less importance than its treatment suggests; insignificant, unimportant; also, bland or unremarkable in appearance...
nondescript
nullInsignificant.
paltry
picayuneOf little consequence; small and of little importance; petty, trivial.
picayunishPetty; paltry; mean.
piddlingInsignificant, negligible, paltry, trivial, useless.
piddlySmall, inconsequential, or not worth spending time on.

Meaning of idle

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

Full definition of idle

idle in other languages

Questions about synonyms of idle

What is another word for idle?: Idle has 120 synonyms on Word.ws, such as passive, unemployed, inert, old-fashioned, latent, elderly, inactive and quiescent.
What does idle mean?: Idle means empty, vacant.

Adapted from Wiktionary: idle (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “Synonyms of idle.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/idle. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.