In an idle manner
“Joe idly hoboed through half the country till he realized hoboing never gets you anywhere in life.”
In a manner characterized by indolence or half-heartedness
“They always claim to work hard, but in truth, they're nothing but lazy idle sluggards!”
Adverb for not operating or being used
“The old printer has been idle for months.”
Adverb for not functional or operational
“The machines are sitting idle with the ground so wet they cannot work.”
Adverb for not engaged in any occupation or employment
“My son is idle at the moment, looking for work if you have any.”
(of time) Adverb for characterized by inaction or absence of significant activity
“During idle moments, he'll sit straight-backed on a boulder and write in his field book.”
Adverb for frivolous or trivial in nature
“Their culture consists of spending much of their time engaged in idle gossip.”
Adverb for ineffective or useless
“Stuyvesant may have recalled this phrase, which at the time probably seemed nothing but an idle threat.”
Related Words and Phrases
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