indolent Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective satellite disinclined to work or exertion
    lazy; slothful; faineant; otiose; work-shy.
    • 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
  2. adjective satellite (of tumors, e.g.) slow to heal or develop and usually painless
    • an indolent ulcer
    • leprosy is an indolent infectious disease

WordNet

In"do*lent adjective
Etymology
Pref. in- not + L. dolens, -entis, p. pr. of dolere to feel pain: cf. F. indolent. See Dolorous.
Definitions
  1. Free from toil, pain, or trouble. Obs.
  2. Indulging in ease; avoiding labor and exertion; habitually idle; lazy; inactive; as, an indolent man.
    To waste long nights in indolent repose. Pope.
  3. (Med.) Causing little or no pain or annoyance; as, an indolent tumor. Syn. -- Idle; lazy; slothful; sluggish; listless; inactive; inert. See Idle.

Webster 1913