indolence
Valid in Scrabble
- Scrabble points
- 12
- Words With Friends
- 16
- Letters
- 9
See all 3 pronunciations Show less
Definition of indolence
4 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included
noun
-
(uncountable, usually)Habitual laziness or sloth.
“After having applied my mind with more than ordinary attention to my studies, it is my usual custom to relax and unbend it in the conversation of such as are rather easy than shining companions. […] This is the particular use I make of a set of heavy honest men, with whom I have passed many hours with much indolence, though not with great pleasure. Their conversation is a kind of preparative for sleep: […]”
“The sacred indolence of the monks was devoutly embraced by a servile and effeminate age; but if superstition had not afforded a decent retreat, the same vices would have tempted the unworthy Romans to desert, from baser motives, the standard of the republic.”
“He [Samuel Johnson] ſeemed to learn by intuition; for though indolence and procraſtination vvere inherent in his conſtitution, vvhenever he made an exertion he did more than any one elſe.”
“It is indolence Mr. Bertram, indeed. Indolence and love of ease—a want of all laudable ambition, of taste for good company, or of inclination to take the trouble of being agreeable, which make men Clergymen.”
“To the man himself [Samuel Taylor Coleridge] Nature had given, in high measure, the seeds of a noble endowment; […] but imbedded in such weak laxity of character, in such indolences and esuriences as had made strange work with it.”
See all 4 definitions Show less
noun
-
(uncountable, usually)Habitual laziness or sloth.
“After having applied my mind with more than ordinary attention to my studies, it is my usual custom to relax and unbend it in the conversation of such as are rather easy than shining companions. […] This is the particular use I make of a set of heavy honest men, with whom I have passed many hours with much indolence, though not with great pleasure. Their conversation is a kind of preparative for sleep: […]”
“The sacred indolence of the monks was devoutly embraced by a servile and effeminate age; but if superstition had not afforded a decent retreat, the same vices would have tempted the unworthy Romans to desert, from baser motives, the standard of the republic.”
“He [Samuel Johnson] ſeemed to learn by intuition; for though indolence and procraſtination vvere inherent in his conſtitution, vvhenever he made an exertion he did more than any one elſe.”
“It is indolence Mr. Bertram, indeed. Indolence and love of ease—a want of all laudable ambition, of taste for good company, or of inclination to take the trouble of being agreeable, which make men Clergymen.”
“To the man himself [Samuel Taylor Coleridge] Nature had given, in high measure, the seeds of a noble endowment; […] but imbedded in such weak laxity of character, in such indolences and esuriences as had made strange work with it.”
- (uncountable, usually)Lack of pain in a tumour.
-
(obsolete, uncountable, usually)A state in which one feels no pain or is indifferent to it; a lack of any feeling.
“Novv, to begin vvith Fortitude, they ſay it is the meane betvveen Covvardiſe & raſh Audacitie, […] Clemencie & Mildneſſe, betvveene ſenſeleſſe Indolence and Crueltie: […]”
-
(obsolete, uncountable, usually)A state of repose in which neither pain nor pleasure is experienced.
“Indolence, vvhich Epicure held, they eſteem not pleaſure, nor vvant of pleaſure, griefe, for both theſe conſiſt in motion; but Indolence and vvant of pleaſure conſiſts not in motion, for Indolence is like the ſtate of a ſleeping man.”
Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French indolence, or from its etymon Latin indolentia (“freedom from pain; insensibility”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + dolēns (“hurting, suffering; grieving, lamenting”) + -ia (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). Dolēns is the present participle of doleō (“to hurt, suffer; to be sorry, deplore, grieve for, lament”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *delh₁- (“to divide, split”).
Words you can make from indolence
177 playable · top: CODEINE (10 pts)
Best play codeine 10 points7-letter words
4 words6-letter words
22 words5-letter words
32 words- CODEN 8 pts
- COLED 8 pts
- CONED 8 pts
- DEICE 8 pts
- DOLCE 8 pts
- DOLCI 8 pts
- CLINE 7 pts
- CLONE 7 pts
- COLIN 7 pts
- CONIN 7 pts
- INCEL 7 pts
- LOCIE 7 pts
- NICOL 7 pts
- NIECE 7 pts
- NONCE 7 pts
- OLEIC 7 pts
- DIENE 6 pts
- DONEE 6 pts
- DONNE 6 pts
- EDILE 6 pts
- ELIDE 6 pts
- INDOL 6 pts
- INNED 6 pts
- LINED 6 pts
- LODEN 6 pts
- OILED 6 pts
- OLDEN 6 pts
- OLDIE 6 pts
- ELOIN 5 pts
- LEONE 5 pts
- LINEN 5 pts
- OLEIN 5 pts
4-letter words
66 words- CEDE 7 pts
- CEDI 7 pts
- CLOD 7 pts
- CODE 7 pts
- COED 7 pts
- COLD 7 pts
- DECO 7 pts
- DICE 7 pts
- ICED 7 pts
- ODIC 7 pts
- CEIL 6 pts
- CINE 6 pts
- CION 6 pts
- CLON 6 pts
- COIL 6 pts
- COIN 6 pts
- COLE 6 pts
- CONE 6 pts
- CONI 6 pts
- CONN 6 pts
- ICON 6 pts
- LICE 6 pts
- LOCI 6 pts
- NICE 6 pts
- ONCE 6 pts
- DEIL 5 pts
- DELE 5 pts
- DELI 5 pts
- DENE 5 pts
- DENI 5 pts
- DIEL 5 pts
- DINE 5 pts
- DINO 5 pts
- DIOL 5 pts
- DOLE 5 pts
- DONE 5 pts
- EIDE 5 pts
- IDLE 5 pts
- IDOL 5 pts
- LEDE 5 pts
- LEND 5 pts
- LIDO 5 pts
- LIED 5 pts
- LODE 5 pts
- LOID 5 pts
- NEED 5 pts
- NIDE 5 pts
- NODE 5 pts
- NODI 5 pts
- OLDE 5 pts
- ENOL 4 pts
- LENO 4 pts
- LIEN 4 pts
- LINE 4 pts
- LINN 4 pts
- LINO 4 pts
- LION 4 pts
- LOIN 4 pts
- LONE 4 pts
- NENE 4 pts
- NEON 4 pts
- NINE 4 pts
- NOEL 4 pts
- NOIL 4 pts
- NONE 4 pts
- NONI 4 pts
3-letter words
37 words- COD 6 pts
- DOC 6 pts
- CEE 5 pts
- CEL 5 pts
- COL 5 pts
- CON 5 pts
- ECO 5 pts
- ICE 5 pts
- LOC 5 pts
- DEE 4 pts
- DEL 4 pts
- DEN 4 pts
- DIE 4 pts
- DIN 4 pts
- DOE 4 pts
- DOL 4 pts
- DON 4 pts
- ELD 4 pts
- END 4 pts
- LED 4 pts
- LID 4 pts
- NOD 4 pts
- ODE 4 pts
- OLD 4 pts
- EEL 3 pts
- EON 3 pts
- INN 3 pts
- ION 3 pts
- LEE 3 pts
- LEI 3 pts
- LIE 3 pts
- LIN 3 pts
- NEE 3 pts
- NIL 3 pts
- OIL 3 pts
- OLE 3 pts
- ONE 3 pts
2-letter words
15 wordsHooks
1 extension · 1 back
A single letter you can add to indolence to make another valid word.
Back
Find your best play with indolence
See every word you can make from a set of letters that includes indolence, or browse word lists you can mine for high-scoring plays.