as in inertia
an inclination not to do work or engage in activities
a general feeling of indolence usually overtakes them during summer vacation
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Recent Examples of indolence
Some part of Baudelaire’s lifelong free-spending and indolence seems to be a direct rebellion against the man, if not outright Freudian jealousy—Charles was an unabashed mama’s boy.
—
Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
The Johnson Administration said the AFDC rewarded indolence, and condoned non-marital child bearing.
—Stephanie Land, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
Sennott and her costars speak with an irritatingly fake affect, are shallower than a puddle in the desert and prize selfishness, indolence and artifice.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
The idea of Irish indolence fused with a quasi-religious faith in the laws of the market to shape the British response to the famine.
—Fintan O'Toole, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for indolence
Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
The Johnson Administration said the AFDC rewarded indolence, and condoned non-marital child bearing.
—Stephanie Land, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
Sennott and her costars speak with an irritatingly fake affect, are shallower than a puddle in the desert and prize selfishness, indolence and artifice.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
The idea of Irish indolence fused with a quasi-religious faith in the laws of the market to shape the British response to the famine.
—Fintan O'Toole, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for indolence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indolence
Noun
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In a field defined by bureaucratic inertia, moving from contract to flight in under a year is nothing short of a developmental miracle.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Mar. 2026
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The Mini seems to change direction with almost no sense of inertia, biting into corners with terrier-like tenacity.—
Tim Pitt,
Robb Report,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The top reason people resist showing themselves kindness, research has found, is the belief that self-compassion indicates laziness or self-indulgence.—
Nir Eyal,
CNBC,
10 Mar. 2026
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The intentionality of the misinformation—or the absence of information—coupled with the laziness of the execution ties a perfect knot of contempt.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Indolence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indolence. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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