Standard Lemma guide

indisposed

adj · 5 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

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Mildly ill.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • He was indisposed with a cold.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Not disposed, predisposed, or inclined; unwilling.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I stayed indoors all day, feeling indisposed to finish mowing the lawn.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Not yet ready (especially with regard to receiving a visitor) because not yet arranged into a state of readiness (i.e., not disposed); (especially, more specifically):

In the lavatory/WC.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: euphemistic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Not yet ready (especially with regard to receiving a visitor) because not yet arranged into a state of readiness (i.e., not disposed); (especially, more specifically):

Undressed; not yet dressed enough to be seen by visitors.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: euphemistic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

somewhat ill or prone to illness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • my poor ailing grandmother
  • feeling a bit indisposed today
  • you look a little peaked
  • feeling poorly
  • a sickly child
  • is unwell and can't come to work

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ailing, peaked(p), poorly(p), sickly, unwell, under the weather, seedy

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in-bor. Middle English in- English in- English disposed English indisposed From in- + disposed.

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: неразположен (nerazpoložen) — mildly ill
  • Catalan: indisposat — mildly ill
  • French: indisposé — mildly ill
  • German: unpässlich — mildly ill
  • Hungarian: indiszponált — mildly ill
  • Hungarian: gyengélkedő — mildly ill
  • Italian: indisposto — mildly ill
  • Polish: niedysponowany — mildly ill
  • Portuguese: indisposto — mildly ill
  • Russian: недомогающий (nedomogajuščij) — mildly ill
  • Spanish: indispuesto — mildly ill
  • German: abgeneigt — not disposed or inclined; unwilling
  • German: ohne Lust zu — not disposed or inclined; unwilling
  • German: ohne Antrieb — not disposed or inclined; unwilling
  • German: lustlos — not disposed or inclined; unwilling
  • Polish: niechętny — not disposed or inclined; unwilling
  • Polish: nieskłonny — not disposed or inclined; unwilling
  • Polish: nieskory — not disposed or inclined; unwilling
  • Russian: несклонный (nesklonnyj) — not disposed or inclined; unwilling