1 not wanting to work hard; lazy 懒散的:
He has the ability to succeed but he is just bone (= very) idle.他有能力做得到,可就是懒骨头,不肯做。
2 not doing anything; not being used 闲散的;闲置的:
She can't bear to be idle.她这个人闲不下来。The factory stood idle while the machines were being repaired.机器进行维修时,工厂停工。
3 (only before a noun 只用于名词前) not to be taken seriously because it will not have any result 不必认真对待的:
an idle promise/threat信口许下的诺言;随便说说吓唬人的话idle chatter/curiosity随便说说;随便打听 ➔idlenessnoun [U]
➔idly /ˈaɪdli ||; ˈaɪdlɪ/ adv