indolent adj

1 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" [syn: faineant, lazy, otiose, slothful, work-shy]

2 of tumors e.g.; slow to heal or develop and usually painless; "an indolent ulcer"; "leprosy is an indolent infectious disease"

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɪndələnt/
• SAMPA: /'Ind@l@nt/

Adjective

1. Habitually lazy, procrastinating, or resistant to physical labor/labour.

   The indolent girl resisted doing her homework.

2. Something inducing laziness (e.g. indolent comfort); causing scant or no physical pain; progressing slowly; inactive (of an ulcer, etc.)
3. Healing slowly.

Synonyms

• work-shy

Related terms

• indolence
• indolency

Laziness is the lack of desire to perform work or expend effort. What behavior is considered laziness varies according to personal and societal standards. Chronic laziness may be an underlying psychological condition.

Laziness is considered by some Christians to be one of the seven deadly sins, though it is called sloth on the list.

Feelings of laziness may be a symptom of clinical depression or listlessness.

Intellectual laziness

The expression "intellectual laziness" is used to describe a tendency to not ask questions or investigate thoroughly, applying a kind of mental routine (availability heuristic) or just following the crowd (herd behavior).

Literature related to laziness

• Carl Honore: In Praise of Slowness, 2005, ISBN 0-06-075051-0
• Paul Lafargue (transl. Len Bracken): The Right To Be Lazy (1883) ISBN 1-892355-03-5
• Corinne Maier:
  • Hello Laziness! - Why Hard Work Doesn't Pay, 2005, ISBN 0-7528-7186-2
  • Bonjour Laziness! - How to Work as Little as Possible (Just Like the French), 2005, ISBN 0-375-42373-7
  • Bonjour paresse - De l'art et la nécessité d'en faire le moins possible en entreprise, 2004, ISBN 2-84186-231-3
• Bertrand Russell: In Praise of Idleness - And Other Essays, 1935, ISBN 0-415-32506-4
• John Steinbeck: The Log from the Sea of Cortez, 1951, ISBN 0141186070.
  • "Only in laziness can one achieve a state of contemplation which is a balancing of values, a weighing of oneself against the world, and the world against itself."

See also

• Lazy evaluation
• The Idler (1993)
• Acedia
• Procrastination
• Senioritis
• Couch potato
• Slacker
• Bludger

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