OTIOSE

faineant, indolent, lazy, otiose, slothful, work-shy

(adjective) disinclined to work or exertion; “faineant kings under whose rule the country languished”; “an indolent hanger-on”; “too lazy to wash the dishes”; “shiftless idle youth”; “slothful employees”; “the unemployed are not necessarily work-shy”

futile, ineffectual, otiose, unavailing, meaningless

(adjective) producing no result or effect; “a futile effort”; “the therapy was ineffectual”; “an otiose undertaking”; “an unavailing attempt”

otiose, pointless, purposeless, senseless, superfluous, wasted

(adjective) serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being; “otiose lines in a play”; “advice is wasted words”; “a pointless remark”; “a life essentially purposeless”; “senseless violence”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

otiose (comparative more otiose, superlative most otiose)

Having no effect.

Done in a careless or perfunctory manner.

Reluctant to work or to exert oneself.

Of a person, possessing a bored indolence.

Having no reason for being (raison d’être); having no point, reason, or purpose.

Synonyms

• (resulting in no effect): futile, ineffective

• (reluctant to work): indolent, lazy, sluggish

• (having no reason or purpose): superfluous, irrelevant, pointless

Antonyms

• (resulting in no effect): productive, useful

• (reluctant to work): hardworking

• (having no reason or purpose): essential, necessary

Source: Wiktionary


O"ti*ose`, a. Etym: [L. otiosus, fr. otium ease.]

Definition: Being at leisure or ease; unemployed; indolent; idle. "Otiose assent." Paley. The true keeping of the Sabbath was not that otiose and unAlford.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

6 June 2025

PUNGENCY

(noun) wit having a sharp and caustic quality; “he commented with typical pungency”; “the bite of satire”


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Coffee Trivia

Coffee dates back to the 9th century. Goat herders in Ethiopia noticed their goats seem to be “dancing” after eating berries from a particular shrub. They reported it to the local monastery, and a monk made a drink out of it. The monk found out he felt energized and kept him awake at night. That’s how the first coffee drink was born.

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