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inactivity

Roget category 683

5. Words relating to the voluntary powers
5.3. Voluntary action
›› 5.3.1. Simple voluntary action

#683. Inactivity

noun

inactivityinaction etc. 681inertness etc. 172obstinacy etc. 606.
lull etc. (cessation) 142quiescence etc. 265rust, rustiness.
idleness, remissness etc. adj. — sloth, indolence, indiligencedawdling etc. v.. ergophobia, otiosity.
dullness etc. adj. — languorsegnity, segnitudelentorsluggishness etc. (slowness) 275procrastination etc. (delay) 133torpor, torpidity, torpescencestupor etc. (insensibility) 823somnolencedrowsiness etc. adj. — nodding etc. v. — oscitation, oscitancypandiculation, hypnotism, lethargystatuvolence heaviness, heavy eyelids.
sleep, slumbersound sleep, heavy sleep, balmy sleepMorpheusSomnuscoma, trance, ecstasis, dream, hibernation, nap, doze, snooze, siesta, wink of sleep, forty winks, snorehypnology.
dull workpotteringrelaxation etc. (loosening) 47Castle of Indolence.
[Cause of inactivity] lullaby, sedative, tranquilizer, hypnotic, sleeping pill, relaxant, anaesthetic, general anaesthetic etc. 174torpedo.
[person who is inactive] idler, drone, droil, dawdle, mopusdo-little faineant [Fr.], dummy, sleeping partnerafternoon farmertruant etc. (runaway) 623bummer, loafer, goldbrick, goldbicker, lounger, lazzarone [It]lubber, lubbardslow coach etc. (slow.) 275opium eater, lotus eatersluglag, sluggard, slugabedslumberer, dormouse, marmotwaiter on Providence, fruges consumere natus [Lat.].

verb

be inactive etc. adj. — do nothing etc. 681move slowly etc. 275let the grass grow under one's feettake one's time, dawdle, drawl, droil, lag, hang back, slouchloll, lolloplounge, poke, loaf, loitergo to sleep oversleep at one's post, ne battre que d'une aile [Fr.].
take it easy, take things as they comelead an easy life, vegetate, swim with the stream, eat the bread of idlenessloll in the lap of luxury, loll in the lap of indolencewaste time, consume time, kill time, lose timeburn daylight, waste the precious hours.
idle away time, trifle away time, fritter away time, fool away timespend time in, take time inpeddle, piddlepotter, pudder, dabble, faddle fribble, fiddle-faddledally, dilly-dally.
sleep, slumber, be asleephibernateoversleepsleep like a top, sleep like a log, sleep like a dormousesleep soundly, heavilydoze, drowze, snooze, naptake a nap etc. n. — dreamsnore one's bestsettle to sleep, go to sleep, go off to sleepdoze off, drop offfall asleepdrop asleepclose the eyes, seal up the eyes, seal up eyelidsweigh down the eyelidsget sleep, nod, yawngo to bed, turnget some z's, stack z's [Coll.].
languish, expend itself, flag, hang firerelax.
render idle etc. adj. — sluggardizemitigate etc. 174.

adjective

inactivemotionless etc. 265 unoccupied etc. (doing nothing) 681unbusied.
indolent, lazy, slothful, idle, lusk, remiss, slack, inert, torpid, sluggish, otiose, languid, supine, heavy, dull, leaden, lumpishexanimate, soullesslistlessdrony, dronishlazy as Ludlam's dog.
dilatory, laggardlagging etc. v. — slow etc. 275rusty, flagginglackadaisical, maudlin, fiddle-faddlepottering etc. v. — shilly-shally etc. (irresolute) 605.
sleeping, etc. v. — asleepfast asleep, dead asleep, sound asleepin a sound sleepsound as a top, dormant, comatosein the arms of Morpheus, in the lap of Morpheus.
sleepy, sleepfuldozy, drowsy, somnolent, torpescent, lethargic, lethargicalsomnifacientstatuvolent, statuvolicheavy, heavy with sleepnappingsomnific, somniferoussoporous, soporific, soporiferoushypnoticbalmy, dreamyunawakened, unawakened.
sedative etc. 174.

adverb

inactively etc. adj. — at leisure etc. 685.

phrase

the eyes begin to draw strawsbankrupt of life yet prodigal of ease" [Dryden]; better 50 years of Europe than a cycle of better 50 years of Europe than a cycle of Cathay" [Tennyson]; idly busy rolls their world away" [Goldsmith]; the mystery of folded sleep" [Tennyson]; the timely dew of sleep" [Milton]; thou driftest gently down the tides of sleep" [Longfellow]; tired Nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep" [Young].

The content on this page comes straight from Project Gutenberg Etext of Roget's Thesaurus No. Two, which consists of the acclaimed work by Peter Mark Roget augmented with more recent material. Some changes were made to the formatting for improved readability.

Bold numbers signify related Roget categories. A dagger symbol (†) indicates archaic words and expressions no longer in common use.

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