, wisdom.

* * * * *

IDLE.

Synonyms:

inactive, inert, slothful, trifling, unoccupied,
indolent, lazy, sluggish, unemployed, vacant.

_Idle_ in all uses rests upon its root meaning, as derived from the
Anglo-Saxon _idel_, which signifies vain, empty, useless. _Idle_ thus
denotes not primarily the absence of action, but vain action--the
absence of useful, effective action; the _idle_ schoolboy may be very
actively whittling his desk or tormenting his neighbors. Doing nothing
whatever is the secondary meaning of _idle_. One may be temporarily
_idle_ of necessity; if he is habitually _idle_, it is his own fault.
_Lazy_ signifies indisposed to exertion, averse to labor; idleness is in
fact; laziness is in disposition or inclination. A _lazy_ person may
chance to be employed in useful work, but he acts without energy or
impetus. We speak figuratively of a _lazy_ stream. The _inert_ person
seems like dead matter (characterized by inertia), powerless to move;
the _sluggish_ moves heavily and toilsomely; the most active person may
sometimes find the bodily or mental powers _sluggish_. _Slothful_
belongs in the moral realm, denoting a self-indulgent aversion to
exertion. "The _slothful_ hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him
to bring it again to his mouth," _Prov._ xxvi, 15. _Indolent_ is a
milder term for the same quality; the _slothful_ man hates action; the
_indolent_ man loves inaction. Compare VAIN.

Antonyms:

active, busy, diligent, employed, industrious, occupied, working.

* * * * *

IGNORANT.

Synonyms:

ill-informed, unenlightened, unlearned, untaught,
illiterate, uninformed, unlettered, untutored.
uneducated, uninstructed, unskilled,

_Ignorant_ signifies destitute of education or knowledge, or lacking
knowledge or information; it is thus a relative term. The most learned
man is still _ignorant_ of many things; persons are spoken of as
_ignorant_ who have not the knowledge that has become generally diffused
in the world; the _ignorant_ savage may be well instructed in matters of
the field and the chase, and is thus more properly _untutored_ than
_ignorant_. _Illiterate_ is without letters and the knowledge that comes
through reading. _Unlettered_ is similar in meaning to _illiterate_, but
less absolute; the _unlettered_ man may have acquired the art of reading
and writing and some