Phrase guide

dolce far niente

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˌdɒltʃeɪ ˌfɑː nɪˈɛnteɪ/
  • US: /ˌdoʊltʃeɪ ˌfɑɹ niˈɛnteɪ/
  • US: /ˌdoʊltʃi ˌfɑɹ niˈɛnti/
  • rhymes with -ɛnti

1

noun

Meaning 1

Sheer indulgent relaxation and blissful laziness, the enjoyment of idleness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • 1882, W. S. Gilbert, Iolanthe This gentleman is seen, / With a maid of seventeen, / A-taking of his dolce far niente; / And wonders he'd achieve, / For he asks us to believe / She's his mother—and he's nearly five-and-twenty!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

carefree idleness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: idleness, idling, loafing

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian dolce far niente (literally “sweet doing nothing, sweet idleness”).

Across languages

Translations

26 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: دُولْتْشِي فَار نْيِنْتِي (dūltšī fār nyintī) — enjoyment of idleness
  • Chinese Mandarin: 無所事事的快樂 /无所事事的快乐 (wúsuǒshìshì de kuàilè) — enjoyment of idleness
  • Dutch: dolce far niente — enjoyment of idleness
  • Estonian: dolce far niente — enjoyment of idleness
  • French: farniente — enjoyment of idleness
  • German: süßes Nichtstun — enjoyment of idleness
  • German: Dolcefarniente — enjoyment of idleness
  • German: Müßiggang — enjoyment of idleness
  • Greek: ντόλτσε φαρ νιέντε (ntóltse far niénte) — enjoyment of idleness
  • Indonesian: dolce far niente — enjoyment of idleness
  • Italian: dolce far niente — enjoyment of idleness
  • Japanese: 寝食い (negui) — enjoyment of idleness
  • Japanese: 徒食 (toshoku) — enjoyment of idleness
  • Korean: 돌체 파르 니엔테 (dolche pareu niente) — enjoyment of idleness
  • Korean: 도식 (dosik) — enjoyment of idleness
  • Northern Kurdish: rehaweta şirîn — enjoyment of idleness
  • Norwegian Bokmål: dolce far niente — enjoyment of idleness
  • Polish: błogie lenistwo — enjoyment of idleness
  • Portuguese: dolce far niente — enjoyment of idleness
  • Romanian: farniente — enjoyment of idleness
  • Russian: до́льче фар ние́нте (dólʹče far nijénte) — enjoyment of idleness
  • Spanish: dolce far niente — enjoyment of idleness
  • Swedish: behaglig sysslolöshet — enjoyment of idleness
  • Swedish: dolce far niente — enjoyment of idleness
  • Tamil: மகிழ்ச்சியான சோம்பேறித்தனம் (makiḻcciyāṉa cōmpēṟittaṉam) — enjoyment of idleness
  • Tamil: இன்ப ஓய்வு (iṉpa ōyvu) — enjoyment of idleness