English Meaning & Definitions
Having or showing a disposition to avoid exertion; habitually lazy or slothful.
- “The indolent teenager spent his entire summer vacation lounging on the couch playing video games.”
- “An indolent lifestyle often leads to a decline in physical health and mental sharpness.”
(Medicine) Causing little or no pain; slow to develop, progress, or heal.
- “The doctor noted that the indolent ulcer had shown almost no change in size over the past six months.”
- “Indolent lymphomas are typically slow-growing and may not require immediate aggressive treatment.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “indolent”.
Derived from the Latin 'indolentem', meaning 'insensible to pain', formed from the prefix 'in-' (not) and 'dolere' (to suffer or feel pain). In its original 17th-century usage, it referred to a state of being free from pain or trouble. Over time, the meaning shifted to describe a person who avoids exertion or work, as if they are too 'painless' or comfortable to bother with effort.
Think of 'in-dole-ent': If you are 'in' a 'dole' (unemployment benefits) because you are 'ent' (intent) on not working, you are indolent.
Frequently Asked Questions About “indolent”
1. What is the meaning of “indolent” in English?
In English, indolent (adjective) is defined as: “Having or showing a disposition to avoid exertion; habitually lazy or slothful.”.
2. How do you use “indolent” in a sentence?
“The indolent teenager spent his entire summer vacation lounging on the couch playing video games.”
3. What are English synonyms of “indolent”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “indolent”?
Derived from the Latin 'indolentem', meaning 'insensible to pain', formed from the prefix 'in-' (not) and 'dolere' (to suffer or feel pain). In its original 17th-century usage, it referred to a state of being free from pain or trouble. Over time, the meaning shifted to describe a person who avoids exertion or work, as if they are too 'painless' or comfortable to bother with effort.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →A measurement of time indicating an instantaneous occurrence or a state where no time has elapsed.
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.