Standard Lemma guide

indolent

adj · 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.

  • UK, US: /ˈɪn.də.lənt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH1 N D AH0 L AH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Habitually lazy, procrastinating, or resistant to physical labor.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The indolent girl resisted doing her homework.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Inducing laziness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • indolent comfort

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Causing little or no physical pain; progressing slowly; inactive (of an ulcer, etc.).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Healing slowly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

(of tumors, e.g.) slow to heal or develop and usually painless

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an indolent ulcer
  • leprosy is an indolent infectious disease

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

disinclined to work or exertion

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • faineant kings under whose rule the country languished
  • an indolent hanger-on
  • too lazy to wash the dishes
  • shiftless idle youth
  • slothful employees
  • the unemployed are not necessarily work-shy

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: faineant, lazy, otiose, slothful, work-shy

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From French indolent or directly from Late Latin indolēns, from in- (“not”) + dolēns (“hurting”), from doleo (“to hurt”). The later sense of “living easily, slothful” perhaps developed in French.

Across languages

Translations

55 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: ленив (leniv) — habitually lazy
  • Bulgarian: мързелив (mǎrzeliv) — habitually lazy
  • Catalan: indolent — habitually lazy
  • Czech: lhostejný — habitually lazy
  • Czech: líný — habitually lazy
  • Czech: indolentní — habitually lazy
  • Czech: lenivý — habitually lazy
  • Czech: zahálčivý — habitually lazy
  • Dutch: werkschuw — habitually lazy
  • Finnish: saamaton — habitually lazy
  • Finnish: veltto — habitually lazy
  • French: indolent — habitually lazy
  • German: träge — habitually lazy
  • German: faul — habitually lazy
  • German: arbeitsscheu — habitually lazy
  • Hungarian: lusta — habitually lazy
  • Irish: sácráilte — habitually lazy
  • Latin: piger — habitually lazy
  • Norwegian: arbeidsky — habitually lazy
  • Plautdietsch: ful — habitually lazy
  • Polish: leniwy — habitually lazy
  • Portuguese: indolente — habitually lazy
  • Portuguese: vadio — habitually lazy
  • Russian: лени́вый (lenívyj) — habitually lazy
  • Russian: пра́здный (prázdnyj) — habitually lazy
  • Russian: безде́ятельный (bezdéjatelʹnyj) — habitually lazy
  • Scottish Gaelic: leisg — habitually lazy
  • Spanish: indolente — habitually lazy
  • Tocharian B: ālase — habitually lazy
  • Turkish: uyuz — habitually lazy
  • Ottoman Turkish: تنبل (tembel) — habitually lazy
  • Ottoman Turkish: هایلاز (haylaz) — habitually lazy
  • Finnish: veltostuttava — inducing laziness
  • German: ermüdend — inducing laziness
  • Portuguese: indolente — inducing laziness
  • Russian: спосо́бствующий пра́здности (sposóbstvujuščij prázdnosti) — inducing laziness
  • Russian: разне́живающий (raznéživajuščij) — inducing laziness
  • Bulgarian: безболезнен (bezboleznen) — medicine: causing little or no physical pain
  • Czech: nebolestivý — medicine: causing little or no physical pain
  • Finnish: indolentti — medicine: causing little or no physical pain
  • Finnish: kivuton — medicine: causing little or no physical pain
  • French: indolent — medicine: causing little or no physical pain
  • German: schmerzlos — medicine: causing little or no physical pain
  • German: indolent — medicine: causing little or no physical pain
  • German: schmerzfrei — medicine: causing little or no physical pain
  • Irish: leasc — medicine: causing little or no physical pain
  • Polish: bezbolesny — medicine: causing little or no physical pain
  • Russian: безболе́зненный (bezboléznennyj) — medicine: causing little or no physical pain
  • Spanish: indolente — medicine: causing little or no physical pain
  • Bulgarian: бавно заздравяващ (bavno zazdravjavašt) — medicine: healing slowly
  • Finnish: itsepintainen — medicine: healing slowly
  • Irish: leasc — medicine: healing slowly
  • Russian: ме́дленно зажива́ющий (médlenno zaživájuščij) — medicine: healing slowly
  • Russian: вялотеку́щий (vjalotekúščij) — medicine: healing slowly
  • Spanish: indolente — medicine: healing slowly