indolent

/ˈɪn.də.lənt/

//ˈɪn.də.lənt// adj

"indolent" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“indolent” is an uncommon English word, ranked #69,950 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#69,950
frequency rank, English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Habitually lazy, procrastinating, or resistant to physical labor.

Key facts for indolent
PropertyValue
Headwordindolent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɪn.də.lənt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#69,950
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “indolent” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). indolent lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for indolent is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪn.də.lənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #69,950 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for indolent, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French indolent or directly from Late Latin indolēns, from in- (“not”) + dolēns (“hurting”), from doleo (“to hurt”). The later sense of “living easily, slothful” perhaps developed in French. The correct English form is indolent, spelled I-N-D-O-L-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Habitually lazy, procrastinating, or resistant to physical labor.
  2. 2
    Inducing laziness.
  3. 3
    Causing little or no physical pain; progressing slowly; inactive (of an ulcer, etc.).
  4. 4
    Healing slowly.

Etymology

From French indolent or directly from Late Latin indolēns, from in- (“not”) + dolēns (“hurting”), from doleo (“to hurt”). The later sense of “living easily, slothful” perhaps developed in French.

Synonyms

idlework-shylazy

This word in other languages

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 "indolent"?
"indolent" is spelled I-N-D-O-L-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪn.də.lənt/.
What does "indolent" mean?
As an adjective, "indolent" means: Habitually lazy, procrastinating, or resistant to physical labor.
How do you pronounce "indolent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "indolent" is /ˈɪn.də.lənt/. 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 "indolent"?
From French indolent or directly from Late Latin indolēns, from in- (“not”) + dolēns (“hurting”), from doleo (“to hurt”). The later sense of “living easily, slothful” perhaps developed in French. 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.

Using “indolent”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-D-O-L-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɪn.də.lənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list