Basic Details
Word: Idle
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Not working, busy or in use; also lazy. As a verb, to idle is to spend time doing nothing, or for an engine to run slowly.
Synonyms: inactive, unused, lazy
Antonyms: busy, active, working
Sounds like: idol (a statue that is worshipped, or a person greatly admired)
How to Spell Idle
Syllables: i - dle
Tricky part: The end is le, said 'dl'. It sounds the same as idol, so students mix them up; idel is the common misspelling.
Watch out for: idel, idal, iddle
Memory tip: Idle ends like candle and handle: dle. An idle candle is one nobody has lit.
Idioms and Phrases
- idle hands are the devil's workshop: people with nothing to do often get into trouble. Example: "Nani always says idle hands are the devil's workshop and gives us chores in the holidays."
Usage Examples
Example 1: The tractors stood idle in the shed during the floods.
Example 2: Grandma has no time for idle gossip; she would rather tend her garden.
Example 3: He was an idle boy who spent the afternoon staring at the ceiling fan.
Fun Fact
Many cities ask drivers to switch off engines at long red lights, because an idling engine burns fuel without moving the car at all.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word idle as used in the sentence:
The looms in the weaving village lay idle for a month during the power cuts.
a) unused
b) inactive
c) still
d) active
Show answer
d) active. Looms that lie idle are not working, so active is the opposite.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Instead of sitting idel during the summer holidays, my cousin learnt to swim and helped at his uncle's bakery every morning.
a) holidays
b) cousin
c) bakery
d) idel
Show answer
d) idel. Idle ends in le, the way candle and handle do.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. prestine 2. glimpce 3. idle 4. tranquill
a) perfectly clean and untouched
b) not busy or in use
c) a quick look
d) calm and peaceful
Show answer
b) not busy or in use. Glimpse ends in se, pristine starts pri and tranquil has one l, so idle is the only correct spelling.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Fill in the blank: 'The cricketer is the ____ of every child in our lane.'
a) idle
b) idly
c) idyll
d) idol
Show answer
d) idol
2. When a car engine is idling, the car is ____.
a) being washed at a garage
b) racing along a highway
c) completely out of fuel
d) standing still with the engine on
Show answer
d) standing still with the engine on
