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What is the opposite of working?

Need antonyms for working? Here's a list of opposite words from our thesaurus that you can use instead.

Adjective
Opposite of functioning or able to function
“I realized sitting in front of a broken computer was not going to get me the investors I needed.”
Adjective
Opposite of having paid employment
“Instead of kicking them when they are down, they should be extending a helping hand to the unemployed people.”
Adjective
Opposite of sufficient to work with at a basic level
“It is an impressive feat, but one wonders why anyone would waste their time learning an impractical skillset.”
Adjective
Opposite of being in a state of activity
“She was gobsmacked by the number of idle workers sitting around and chatting with each other when they should have been working.”
Adjective
Opposite of busy or involving much activity
“We walked in and observed inactive workers sitting around and chatting with each other.”
Adjective
Opposite of arranged or existing for the present, possibly to be changed later
Adjective
Opposite of serving as a temporary or short-term means or measure
Adjective
Opposite of busy or occupied with business, work, or other activities
“The doctor is available and will see you now.”
Adjective
Opposite of actively engaged in an assigned task, duty or occupation
Adjective
Opposite of put into practical use
“Your theory sounds reasonable in a theoretical sense, but cannot realistically be applied to the real world.”
Adjective
Opposite of of a suitable quality, standard, or type to meet the required purpose
“We need to target resources towards generating relevant evidence rather than recycling inadequate or inapplicable evidence.”
Adjective
Opposite of currently active or in operation
Adjective
(in a crime, process, etc) Opposite of associated with others, be a participant or make someone be a participant
“Senior officers believe that their suspect and the events that took place earlier this month are unrelated.”
Adjective
Opposite of having achieved a goal or state of prosperity
“Countless successful people have repeatedly demonstrated that a failed venture need not deter anyone from trying again.”
Adjective
Opposite of being in a healthy and functional state
“His faculties were still ailing after having endured multiple concussions during his sporting career.”
Noun
Opposite of the act of being in operation
“At the time, I dismissed it as some malfunction of my watch but quickly realized that we all had our time frames altered by people.”
Noun
(usually "workings") Opposite of the working parts of a machine
“A spoiler on a four-wheel-drive vehicle is purely for aesthetics and has no functional purpose.”
Noun
Opposite of the capabilities or efficiency of a machine or product
“This pitch has done nothing but display the ineffectiveness of your product.”
Noun
Opposite of the act or state of functioning or executing
Verb
Opposite of utilizing or employing a tangible object
“He was often misusing a fork for drinking soup.”
Verb
Opposite of present participle for to perform a task as part of one's employment
“I will resign from my position as a ranger at the local national park next week.”
Verb
Opposite of present participle for to exert oneself for a particular purpose
“I would laze late into the night despite having work to complete.”
Verb
Opposite of present participle for to function with a specific purpose
“These blunt scissors fail as a tool for cutting.”
Verb
Opposite of present participle for to produce as a result of effort
“Consuming too many calories will counteract your efforts to lose weight.”
Verb
Opposite of present participle for to be successful
“This plan of action is defective and will surely fail.”
Verb
Opposite of present participle for to be in working condition
“Your computer will break down if you spill coffee on it.”
Verb
Opposite of present participle for to produce the desired effect
“He waited for an hour, but the medication would fizzle and have no effect.”
Verb
Opposite of present participle for to bring into a heightened emotional state
“The diplomatic politician would pacify his energetic supporters during his rallies.”
Verb
Opposite of present participle for to effect by gradual degrees
“I had to bulldoze my way through the large crowds.”
Verb
Opposite of present participle for to shape or form a given material
“The apprentice baker would butcher the dough with his unskilled hands.”
Verb
(farming) Opposite of present participle for to cultivate soil
“The farmers would unwittingly damage the vast expanses of land after having grown their crops on them.”
Verb
Opposite of present participle for to arrange or contrive
“The political consultant was prepared to play by the rules in order to get his candidate elected.”
Verb
Opposite of present participle for to move in an agitated manner
“Jane's left twitching eyelid would settle after she calmed down.”
Verb
Opposite of present participle for to arrive at an answer through logic
“I had to think long and hard, then I had to give up on figuring out this puzzle.”
Verb
Opposite of present participle for to provide for, usually for one's family
“The negligent father would neglect his family's needs.”
Verb
Opposite of present participle for to cause someone to work, usually hard
“He was a laid-back coach who would coddle his players rather than push them.”
Prepositional phrase
Opposite of being ready or easily reached for immediate assistance or duty
Adverb
Opposite of in operation
“Keep it turned off for the time being while we repair it.”
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