Standard Lemma guide

otiose

adj · 8 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: /ˈəʊ.ʃi.əʊs/
  • Received-Pronunciation:
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈoʊ.ʃi.oʊs/
  • General-American:
  • US, rare: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US, rare: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: OW1 T IY0 OW2 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having no effect.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: futile, ineffective, pointless, bootless, barren, sterile, fruitless, gainless, idle, inane, ineffectual, inefficacious, inutile, no good, otiose, profitless, purposeless, tired, unavailing, unprofitable, unuseful, unutilizable, useless, vain, void

Antonyms: productive, useful, prolific, pregnant, batful, fertile, fruitful, thriving, yielding, yieldly, voluminous

2

adj

Meaning 2

Done in a careless or perfunctory manner.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: negligent, reckless, unthinking, careless, cursory, derelict, heedless, irregardless, irrespective, lash, lax, neglectful, regardless, remiss, slack, slapdash, sloppy, slovenly, slipshod, unfaithful

Antonyms: careful, considered, accurate, surgical, comprehensive, solicitous, conscientious, exhaustive, fastidious, groundly, in-depth, intensive, letter-perfect, mindful, minute, particular, polished, precise, painstaking, punctilious, rigorous, root and branch, scrupulous, scrutinous, sedulous, strict, thorough, tight

3

adj

Meaning 3

Reluctant to work or to exert oneself.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: indolent, lazy, sluggish, bone-idle, fainéant, idle, inert, lackadaisical, lither, otiose, slothful, swear, torpid, work-shy

Antonyms: hardworking, studious, assiduous, diligent, dogged, industrious, notable, sedulous, painstaking, worksome

4

adj

Meaning 4

Of a person, possessing a bored indolence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: blasé, nonplussed, unaroused, adiaphroistic, apathetic, apathistical, blithe, deaf, cool, shiftless, dispassionate, dull, enervated, gallionic, halfhearted, heartless, impassive, ineffervescible, insouciant, indifferent, insensible, jaded, languid, languorous, Laodicean, lethargic, listless, lackadaisical, lotophagous, lukewarm, meh, mopey, nonchalant, otiose, phlegmatic, pococurante, spiritless, supine, tepid, torpid, torpedinous, uncaring, unconcerned, unenthusiastic, unimpressible, uninterested, unlively, unmoved, untouched, unzealous, world-weary

Antonyms: engaged, passionate, animated, ardent, avid, big [⇒ thesaurus] [on], bubbly, eager, earnest, ebullient, energetic, enthusiastic, excited, exhilarated, fanatic, fanatical, fervent, fervid, feverish, gassed, geeked, gung ho, hearty, high-spirited, impassioned, juiced, keen, lit up, lively, mad, motivated, raring, rip-roaring, souped-up, stimulated, thrilled, torrid, vehement, vibrant, vivacious, wild, worked up, wrought-up, zealous, zestful

5

adj

Meaning 5

Having no reason for being (raison d’être); having no point, reason, or purpose.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: superfluous, irrelevant, pointless, beside the mark, beside the point, immaterial, impertinent, irrelative, moot, nongermane, nonpertinent, off-topic, orthogonal, otiose, tangential, unapt, ungermane

Antonyms: essential, necessary, basic, indispensable, necessar, needed, prerequisite, required, requisite

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, indolent, lazy, slothful, work-shy

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

producing no result or effect

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a futile effort
  • the therapy was ineffectual
  • an otiose undertaking
  • an unavailing attempt

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: futile, ineffectual, unavailing

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • otiose lines in a play
  • advice is wasted words
  • a pointless remark
  • a life essentially purposeless
  • senseless violence

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pointless, purposeless, senseless, superfluous, wasted

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Latin ōtiōsus (“idle”), from ōtium (“ease”).

Across languages

Translations

57 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: безполезен (bezpolezen) — resulting in no effect
  • Czech: bezvýznamný — resulting in no effect
  • Dutch: zinloos — resulting in no effect
  • Finnish: hyödytön — resulting in no effect
  • Finnish: tarpeeton — resulting in no effect
  • French: inutile — resulting in no effect
  • Georgian: ამაო (amao) — resulting in no effect
  • Georgian: ფუჭი (puč̣i) — resulting in no effect
  • German: fruchtlos — resulting in no effect
  • German: vergeblich — resulting in no effect
  • German: nichtig — resulting in no effect
  • Hungarian: hiábavaló — resulting in no effect
  • Hungarian: felesleges — resulting in no effect
  • Hungarian: hasztalan — resulting in no effect
  • Hungarian: haszontalan — resulting in no effect
  • Italian: inutile — resulting in no effect
  • Italian: vano — resulting in no effect
  • Japanese: むだな (muda na) — resulting in no effect
  • Japanese: 無用な (muyō na) — resulting in no effect
  • Korean: 헛된 (heotdoen) — resulting in no effect
  • Polish: niepotrzebny — resulting in no effect
  • Russian: бесполе́зный (bespoléznyj) — resulting in no effect
  • Russian: напра́сный (naprásnyj) — resulting in no effect
  • Russian: нену́жный (nenúžnyj) — resulting in no effect
  • Russian: беспло́дный (besplódnyj) — resulting in no effect
  • Russian: тще́тный (tščétnyj) — resulting in no effect
  • Spanish: inútil — resulting in no effect
  • Bulgarian: мързелив (mǎrzeliv) — reluctant to work
  • Dutch: lui — reluctant to work
  • Finnish: joutilas — reluctant to work
  • Finnish: toimeton — reluctant to work
  • French: oisif — reluctant to work
  • Georgian: ზარმაცი (zarmaci) — reluctant to work
  • German: müßig — reluctant to work
  • Hungarian: tétlen — reluctant to work
  • Hungarian: dologtalan — reluctant to work
  • Hungarian: semmittevő — reluctant to work
  • Italian: ozioso — reluctant to work
  • Polish: leniwy — reluctant to work
  • Russian: лени́вый (lenívyj) — reluctant to work
  • Russian: пра́здный (prázdnyj) — reluctant to work
  • Spanish: ocioso — reluctant to work
  • Spanish: desocupado — reluctant to work
  • Bulgarian: ненужен (nenužen) — having no reason or purpose
  • Czech: bezvýznamný — having no reason or purpose
  • Dutch: zinloos — having no reason or purpose
  • Dutch: overbodig — having no reason or purpose
  • Dutch: doelloos — having no reason or purpose
  • Georgian: უაზრო (uazro) — having no reason or purpose
  • German: zwecklos — having no reason or purpose
  • Hungarian: céltalan — having no reason or purpose
  • Hungarian: szükségtelen — having no reason or purpose
  • Japanese: 余計な (yokē na) — having no reason or purpose
  • Polish: niepotrzebny — having no reason or purpose
  • Polish: zbyteczny — having no reason or purpose
  • Polish: bezprzedmiotowy — having no reason or purpose
  • Russian: бесце́льный (bescélʹnyj) — having no reason or purpose