Employed and Idle

Employed

Employed adjective - Involved in often constant activity.
Usage example: insisted that the children be employed in some useful activity, even during school vacations

Idle is an antonym for employed in topics: busy, working.

Idle

Idle adjective - Not being in a state of use, activity, or employment.
Usage example: the car was idle for two weeks while they went on vacation

Employed is an antonym for idle in topics: lazy, unoccupied, worthless.

Nearby Words: idled, idleness, idler, idling, idly

Both words in one sentence

  • Idle Rich: A couple of characters come close but Lewton generally averted this; he preferred his characters to be gainfully employed.
Cite this Source
Idle and Employed. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/employed/idle
Employed & Idle. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/employed/idle>.
Idle or Employed. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/employed/idle.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "employed" and "idle" have occurred on timeline