From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
idle
adj 1: not in action or at work; "an idle laborer"; "idle
drifters"; "the idle rich"; "an idle mind" [ant:
busy]
2: without a basis in reason or fact; "baseless gossip"; "the
allegations proved groundless"; "idle fears"; "unfounded
suspicions"; "unwarranted jealousy" [syn: baseless,
groundless, unfounded, unwarranted]
3: not in active use; "the machinery sat idle during the
strike"; "idle hands" [syn: unused]
4: silly or trivial; "idle pleasure"; "light banter"; "light
idle chatter" [syn: light]
5: lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility; "idle talk";
"a loose tongue" [syn: loose]
6: not yielding a return; "dead capital"; "idle funds" [syn:
dead]
7: not having a job; "idle carpenters"; "jobless transients";
"many people in the area were out of work" [syn:
jobless, out of work]
v 1: run disconnected or idle; "the engine is idling" [syn: {tick
over}] [ant: run]
2: be idle; exist in a changeless situation; "The old man sat
and stagnated on his porch"; "He slugged in bed all
morning" [syn: laze, slug, stagnate] [ant: work]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Idle \I"dle\, a. [Compar. Idler; superl. Idlest.] [OE. idel,
AS. [imac]del vain, empty, useless; akin to OS. [imac]dal, D.
ijdel, OHG. [imac]tal vain, empty, mere, G. eitel, Dan. & Sw.
idel mere, pure, and prob. to Gr. ? clear, pure, ? to burn.
Cf. Ether.]
1. Of no account; useless; vain; trifling; unprofitable;
thoughtless; silly; barren. "Deserts idle." --Shak.
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Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall
give account thereof in the day of judgment. --Matt.
xii. 36.
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Down their idle weapons dropped. --Milton.
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This idle story became important. --Macaulay.
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2. Not called into active service; not turned to appropriate
use; unemployed; as, idle hours.
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The idle spear and shield were high uphing.
--Milton.
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3. Not employed; unoccupied with business; inactive; doing
nothing; as, idle workmen.
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Why stand ye here all the day idle? --Matt. xx. 6.
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4. Given rest and ease; averse to labor or employment; lazy;
slothful; as, an idle fellow.
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5. Light-headed; foolish. [Obs.] --Ford.
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Idle pulley (Mach.), a pulley that rests upon a belt to
tighten it; a pulley that only guides a belt and is not
used to transmit power.
Idle wheel (Mach.), a gear wheel placed between two others,
to transfer motion from one to the other without changing
the direction of revolution.
In idle, in vain. [Obs.] "God saith, thou shalt not take
the name of thy Lord God in idle." --Chaucer.
Syn: Unoccupied; unemployed; vacant; inactive; indolent;
sluggish; slothful; useless; ineffectual; futile;
frivolous; vain; trifling; unprofitable; unimportant.
Usage: Idle, Indolent, Lazy. A propensity to inaction
is expressed by each of these words; they differ in
the cause and degree of this characteristic. Indolent
denotes an habitual love to ease, a settled dislike of
movement or effort; idle is opposed to busy, and
denotes a dislike of continuous exertion. Lazy is a
stronger and more contemptuous term than indolent.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Idle \I"dle\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Idled; p. pr. & vb. n.
Idling.]
To lose or spend time in inaction, or without being employed
in business. --Shak.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Idle \I"dle\, v. t.
To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume; -- often followed
by away; as, to idle away an hour a day.
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