idler

/'aidlə/

Thân thiện

An idler sits on a park bench feeding pigeons.

Definition

Noun: 1. A person who avoids work or is habitually lazy; a lazy person: An idler is someone who spends time doing nothing productive or avoids working. 2. A mechanical part that transmits motion or guides something without being a primary driver: In engineering, an idler is a gear, wheel, or pulley that guides a chain, belt, or other parts of a mechanism without being the main source of power.

Examples

• Person:

  • He was known as the office idler, always finding excuses to avoid his tasks.
  • The landlord complained that his tenant was an idler who never looked for a job.

• Mechanical Part:

  • The mechanic replaced the worn idler in the engine's timing belt system.
  • This pulley is just an idler; it changes the direction of the belt but doesn't provide any power.

Advanced Usage

• "The idle rich": A phrase describing wealthy people who do not need to work. While not using "idler" directly, it relates to the concept of idleness.
  • The novel satirizes the frivolous lives of the idle rich.

Variants and Related Words

• Idle (adjective): Not active or in use; avoiding work.

  • The machines stood idle during the strike.
  • He was idle all afternoon.

• Idleness (noun): The state of being idle.

  • A life of idleness bored him.

• Idle wheel / Idle pulley (noun): Specific terms for types of idlers in machinery.

  • The conveyor belt's tension is maintained by an idle pulley.

Synonyms

• Loafer: A person who idles time away.
• Slacker: A person who avoids work or duty.
• Layabout (chiefly British): A person who does little or no work.
• Bum (informal): A lazy or shiftless person, especially one who avoids work.

Antonyms

• Worker: A person who does work.
• Hard worker: A diligent person.
• Go-getter (informal): An ambitiously enterprising person.

Học thuật

Noun

1. person who does no work
   • a lazy bum

Từ đồng nghĩa

• loafer
• do-nothing
• layabout
• bum