Idle vs. Active — What's the Difference?

Not employed or busy

Engaging or ready to engage in physically energetic pursuits

Disinclined to work or be active; lazy

Pursuing an occupation or activity at a particular place or in a particular way

Not in use or operation

(of a thing) working; operative

(Sports) Not scheduled to play a game

Denoting a voice of verbs in which the subject is typically the person or thing performing the action and which can take a direct object (e.g. she loved him as opposed to the passive form he was loved).

Being a period of time in which there is little or no activity

An active form of a verb.

Lacking substance, value, or basis

Being in physical motion

To pass time without being engaged in purposeful activity

Functioning or capable of functioning.

To move slowly or without purpose

Marked by energetic activity; busy

To run at a slow speed or out of gear. Used of a motor or motor vehicle.

Involving or requiring physical exertion and energy

To pass (time) without doing anything

Being in a state of action; not quiescent

To make or cause to be unemployed or inactive

Erupting or liable to erupt; not dormant

To cause (a motor, for example) to idle.

Marked by or involving direct participation

A state of idling. Used of a motor vehicle

Currently in use or effect

A mechanism for regulating the speed at which an engine runs at rest

Openly acknowledged or expressed

(obsolete) Empty, vacant.

Producing an intended action or effect

Not being used appropriately; not occupied; (of time) with no, no important, or not much activity.

Indicating that the grammatical subject of a verb is performing or causing the action expressed. Used of a verb form or voice.

Not engaged in any occupation or employment; unemployed; inactive; doing nothing in particular.

Expressing action rather than a state of being. Used of verbs such as run, speak, and move.

Averse to work, labor or employment; lazy; slothful.

Of or relating to the management of an investment portfolio by continually making investment decisions based on new information as opposed to maintaining a predetermined strategy or reproducing the returns of a market or index.

Of no importance; useless; worthless; vain; trifling; thoughtless; silly.

Being a source of electrical energy, as a generator.

(obsolete) Light-headed; foolish.

Capable of converting or amplifying voltages or currents, as a diode or transistor.

(transitive) To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume.

Being on full military duty and receiving full pay.

(intransitive) To lose or spend time doing nothing, or without being employed in business.

The active voice.

(intransitive) Of an engine: to run at a slow speed, or out of gear; to tick over.

A construction or form in the active voice.

(mechanical engineering) The lowest selectable thrust or power setting of an engine.

A participating member of an organization

(gaming) An idle animation.

Having the power or quality of acting; causing change; communicating action or motion; acting;—opposed to passive, that receives.

(gaming) An idle game.

Quick in physical movement; of an agile and vigorous body; nimble.

Of no account; useless; vain; trifling; unprofitable; thoughtless; silly; barren.

In action; actually proceeding; working; in force

Not called into active service; not turned to appropriate use; unemployed; as, idle hours.

Emitting hot materials, such as lava, smoke, or steam, or producing tremors.

Not employed; unoccupied with business; inactive; doing nothing; as, idle workmen.

Given to action; constantly engaged in action; energetic; diligent; busy

Given rest and ease; averse to labor or employment; lazy; slothful; as, an idle fellow.

Requiring or implying action or exertion

Light-headed; foolish.

Given to action rather than contemplation; practical; operative

To lose or spend time in inaction, or without being employed in business.

Brisk; lively.

To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume; - often followed by away; as, to idle away an hour a day.

Implying or producing rapid action.

Run disconnected or idle;

About verbs.

Be idle; exist in a changeless situation;

Applied to a form of the verb; — opposed to passive. See active voice.

Not in action or at work;

Applied to verbs which assert that the subject acts upon or affects something else; transitive.

Without a basis in reason or fact;

Applied to all verbs that express action as distinct from mere existence or state.

Not in active use;

Eligible to be processed by a compiler or interpreter.

Silly or trivial;

(electronics) Not passive.

Lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility;

(gay sexual slang) of a homosexual man enjoying a role in anal sex in which he penetrates, rather than being penetrated by his partner.

Not yielding a return;

A person or thing that is acting or capable of acting.

Not having a job;

(electronics) Any component that is not passive. See Passivity (engineering).

Having the power or quality of acting; causing change; communicating action or motion; acting; - opposed to passive, that receives; as, certain active principles; the powers of the mind.

Quick in physical movement; of an agile and vigorous body; nimble; as, an active child or animal.

In action; actually proceeding; working; in force; - opposed to quiescent, dormant, or extinct; as, active laws; active hostilities; an active volcano.

Given to action; constantly engaged in action; energetic; diligent; busy; - opposed to dull, sluggish, indolent, or inert; as, an active man of business; active mind; active zeal.

Requiring or implying action or exertion; - opposed to sedentary or to tranquil; as, active employment or service; active scenes.

Given to action rather than contemplation; practical; operative; - opposed to speculative or theoretical; as, an active rather than a speculative statesman.

Brisk; lively; as, an active demand for corn.

Implying or producing rapid action; as, an active disease; an active remedy.

Applied to a form of the verb; - opposed to passive. See Active voice, under Voice.

Chemical agent capable of activity

The voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is performing the action or causing the happening denoted by the verb;

A person devoted to the active life

Tending to become more severe or wider in scope;

Engaged in or ready for military or naval operations;

Disposed to take action or effectuate change;

Taking part in an activity;

Characterized by energetic activity;

Exerting influence or producing an effect;

Full of activity or engaged in continuous activity;

In operation;

Of the sun; characterized by a high level activity in sunspots and flares and radio emissions

Expressing that the subject of the sentence has the semantic function of actor:

Expressing action rather than a state of being; used of verbs (e.g. `to run') and participial adjectives (e.g. `running' in `running water')

(of e.g. volcanos) erupting or liable to erupt;

Producing activity or change

Engaged in full-time work;

Being in physical motion;

Characterized by energetic bodily activity;