Superlative for not operating or being used
“The old printer has been idle for months.”
Superlative for not functional or operational
“The machines are sitting idle with the ground so wet they cannot work.”
Superlative for doing nothing in particular
“They be worse than idle men indeed, for that they seek to have wages for their loitering.”
Superlative for not easily motivated to action or work
“They always claim to work hard, but in truth, they're nothing but lazy idle sluggards!”
Superlative for not engaged in any occupation or employment
“My son is idle at the moment, looking for work if you have any.”
(of time) Superlative 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.”
Superlative for frivolous or trivial in nature
“Their culture consists of spending much of their time engaged in idle gossip.”
Superlative for ineffective or useless
“Stuyvesant may have recalled this phrase, which at the time probably seemed nothing but an idle threat.”
|