Standard Lemma guide

idler

adj · noun · 6 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈaɪ̯dləː/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈaɪ̯dlɚ/
  • CMU ARPABET: AY1 D AH0 L ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: AY1 D L ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

comparative form of idle: more idle

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: comparative, form-of

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

One who idles; one who spends their time in inaction.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

One who idles; a lazy person; a sluggard.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Any member of a ship's crew who is not required to keep the night-watch.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

Topics: nautical, transport

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A mechanical device such as a pulley or wheel that does not transmit power through its own axle, but forms part of a gear train, supports a moving belt, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

person who does no work

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a lazy bum

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: loafer, do-nothing, layabout, bum

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: nonworker

Narrower terms: clock watcher, couch potato, dallier, dillydallier, dilly-dallier, mope, lounger, dawdler, drone, laggard, lagger, trailer, poke, daydreamer, woolgatherer, goldbrick, goof-off, ne'er-do-well, good-for-nothing, no-account, good-for-naught, lazybones, lie-abed, slugabed, loon, slacker, shirker, sluggard, slug, spiv, sunbather, trifler, whittler

History

Etymology

From idle + -er.

Across languages

Translations

85 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: безделник (bezdelnik) — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Bulgarian: лентяй (lentjaj) — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Catalan: ociós — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Czech: flákač — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Czech: zahaleč — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Dutch: luiaard — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Finnish: tyhjäntoimittaja — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Finnish: joutomies — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • French: fainéant — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • French: fainéante — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Galician: preguiceiro — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • German: untätiger Mitarbeiter — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • German: untätige Mitarbeiterin — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Hungarian: naplopó — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Hungarian: semmittevő — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Latin: cessātor — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Macedonian: бе́зделник (bézdelnik) — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Macedonian: ле́гач (légač) — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Māori: inukorokoro — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Māori: parakūkā — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Māori: kaipāwe — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Māori: kaiparo — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Māori: kaipaoe — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Māori: kaihau — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Māori: karioi — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Māori: māngere — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Māori: hakurea — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Māori: pirorehe — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Occitan: landrin — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Occitan: landrinaire — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Occitan: pigre — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Occitan: fug-òbra — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Occitan: idola — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Russian: тунея́дец (tunejádec) — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Scottish Gaelic: leisgeadair — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Spanish: ocioso — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Volapük: nosdunan — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Volapük: hinosdunan — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Volapük: jinosdunan — one who spends his or her time in inaction
  • Albanian: bjerraditës — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Bulgarian: ленивец (lenivec) — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Bulgarian: мързеливец (mǎrzelivec) — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Catalan: mandrós — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Chinese Mandarin: 懶惰者 /懒惰者 (lǎnduò zhě) — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Czech: lenoch — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Danish: drivert — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Finnish: laiskuri — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • French: fainéant — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • French: fainéante — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Galician: lampantín — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Galician: lacazán — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Galician: nugallán — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • German: Faulpelz — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • German: Faulenzer — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • German: Faulenzerin — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • German: Drohne — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Hindi: कामचोर (kāmcor) — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Italian: fannullone — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Italian: scansafatiche — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Italian: sfaticato — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Italian: poltrone — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Italian: pigrone — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Italian: sfaccendato — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Italian: ozioso — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Macedonian: бе́зделник (bézdelnik) — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Macedonian: безде́лничар (bezdélničar) — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Macedonian: вле́чко (vléčko) — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Macedonian: мр́зливец (mŕzlivec) — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Māori: inukorokoro — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Russian: безде́льник (bezdélʹnik) — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Russian: лентя́й (lentjáj) — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Spanish: holgazán — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Spanish: flojo — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Spanish: remolón — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Spanish: comodón — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Spanish: zángano — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Tagalog: bulakbol — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Tagalog: istambay — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Tagalog: sampiyad — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Tamil: சோம்பேறி (cōmpēṟi) — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Volapük: trögan — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Volapük: hitrögan — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Volapük: jitrögan — one who is lazy; a sluggard
  • Bulgarian: направляваща ролка (napravljavašta rolka) — rotary supporting device
  • Finnish: tukipyörä — rotary supporting device