• enPR: īʹd(ə)l, IPA: /ˈaɪd(ə)l/

idle

1. (obsolete) Empty, vacant.
2. Not being used appropriately; not occupied; (of time) with no, no important, or not much activity.

   idle hours

   My computer hibernates after it has been idle for 30 minutes.

3. Not engaged in any occupation or employment; unemployed; inactive; doing nothing in particular.

   idle workmen

   • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], OCLC 752825175 ↗:

     Molly the dairymaid came a little way from the rickyard, and said she would pluck the pigeon that very night after work. She was always ready to do anything for us boys; and we could never quite make out why they scolded her so for an idle hussy indoors. It seemed so unjust. Looking back, I recollect she had very beautiful brown eyes.

4. Averse to work, labor or employment; lazy; slothful.

   an idle fellow

   • 1907, Robert William Chambers, chapter VI, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 24962326 ↗:

     “I don't mean all of your friends—only a small proportion—which, however, connects your circle with that deadly, idle, brainless bunch—the insolent chatterers at the opera, the gorged dowagers, the worn-out, passionless men, the enervated matrons of the summer capital, […]!”

5. Of no importance; useless; worthless; vain; trifling; thoughtless; silly.

   an idle story;  idle talk;  idle rumor

6. (obsolete) Light-headed; foolish.

• (of no importance) pointless
• See also Thesaurus:lazy

• German: ungenutzt, Mußezeit, Totzeit
• Italian: ozioso, inattivo
• Portuguese: vazio, inapropriado, desocupado, inutilizável
• Spanish: desocupado

• French: oisif
• German: untätig, müßig
• Italian: ozioso, disoccupato, inattivo
• Portuguese: ocioso, desocupado, desempregado
• Russian: неза́нятый
• Spanish: ocioso

• French: inactif, fainéant
• Italian: pigro, indolente, ozioso, infingardo
• Portuguese: preguiçoso, vagabundo
• Spanish: vagabundo

• French: oiseux
• German: nutzlos, müßig, überflüssig
• Italian: inutile, vano
• Portuguese: inútil, imprestável, vão

idle (idles, present participle idling; past and past participle idled)

1. (transitive) To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume.
2. (intransitive) To lose or spend time doing nothing, or without being employed in business.

   to idle in an IRC channel

   • 1939, Joan Evans, Chateaubriand (page 32)

     He had already heard of the young man's projected journey — evidently the Comte de Combourg had written many letters while his son idled at St. Malo […]

3. (intransitive) Of an engine: to run at a slow speed, or out of gear; to tick over.

• Italian: perdere tempo, girare a vuoto, sprecare tempo, sciupare nell'ozio
• Spanish: flojear

• French: fainéanter
• Italian: oziare
• Portuguese: perder tempo
• Russian: безде́льничать
• Spanish: vaguear, holgazanear, golfear

• Italian: girare al minimo, in folle

idle (plural idles)

1. (gaming) An idle animation.
2. (gaming) An idle game.

   Synonyms: idle game, incremental game

1. Surname

1. (programming, Python) Initialism of integrated development environment
2. (programming, Python) Initialism of integrated development and learning environment
3. (pathology) Acronym of indolent lesion of epithelial origin

• IDE integrated development environment