indolence

/ˈɪndəl(ə)ns/

//ˈɪndəl(ə)ns// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"indolence" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“indolence” is uncommon English (frequency #86,380 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#86,380
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Habitual laziness or sloth.

Corpus desk

Index EN-indolence · indolence · English

indolence · rank #86,380 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #86,380
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH Indochinese

Nearest frequency peer: Indochinese (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “indolence”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “indolence” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for indolence
PropertyValue
Headwordindolence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪndəl(ə)ns/
Letters9
Frequency rank#86,380
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “indolence” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).indolencefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Indochinese” (#86,379), “Infantino” (#86,381), “incongruent” (#86,378). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “indolence” is #86,380. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

indolence is uncommon English at frequency #86,380 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɪndəl(ə)ns/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for indolence in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French indolence, or from its etymon Latin indolentia (“freedom from pain; insensibility”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + dolēns (“hurting, suffering; grieving, lamenting”) + -ia (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). Dolēns is t… The correct English form is indolence, spelled I-N-D-O-L-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Habitual laziness or sloth.
  2. 2
    Lack of pain in a tumour.
  3. 3
    A state in which one feels no pain or is indifferent to it; a lack of any feeling.
  4. 4
    A state of repose in which neither pain nor pleasure is experienced.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how indolence appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. After having applied my mind with more than ordinary attention to my studies, it is my usual custom to relax and unbend it in the conversation of such as are rather easy than shining companions. […] This is the particular use I make of a set of heavy honest men, with whom I have passed many hours with much indolence, though not with great pleasure. Their…
  2. The sacred indolence of the monks was devoutly embraced by a servile and effeminate age; but if superstition had not afforded a decent retreat, the same vices would have tempted the unworthy Romans to desert, from baser motives, the standard of the republic.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French indolence, or from its etymon Latin indolentia (“freedom from pain; insensibility”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + dolēns (“hurting, suffering; grieving, lamenting”) + -ia (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). Dolēns is the present participle of doleō (“to hurt, suffer; to be sorry, deplore, grieve for, lament”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *delh₁- (“to divide, split”).

This word in other languages

indolencia(Español)indolence(Français)Indolenz(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "indolence"?
"indolence" is spelled I-N-D-O-L-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪndəl(ə)ns/.
What does "indolence" mean?
As a noun, "indolence" means: Habitual laziness or sloth.
How do you pronounce "indolence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "indolence" is /ˈɪndəl(ə)ns/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "indolence"?
Borrowed from Middle French indolence, or from its etymon Latin indolentia (“freedom from pain; insensibility”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + dolēns (“hurting, suffering; grieving, lamenting”) + -ia (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). D... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "indolence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Infantino#86,381grenadine#86,324Glenville#86,311lodgepole#86,464

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list