a. Helpless; without aid. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Unavoidable; inevitable. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. disinclined to work or exertion.
Syn. -- do-nothing(prenominal), faineant, indolent, lazy, otiose, shiftless, slothful, workshy, work-shy. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ OE. bridel, AS. bridel; akin to OHG. britil, brittil, D. breidel, and possibly to E. braid. Cf. Bridoon. ] 1. The head gear with which a horse is governed and restrained, consisting of a headstall, a bit, and reins, with other appendages. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A restraint; a curb; a check. I. Watts. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Gun.) The piece in the interior of a gun lock, which holds in place the tumbler, sear, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Naut.) (a) A span of rope, line, or chain made fast as both ends, so that another rope, line, or chain may be attached to its middle. (b) A mooring hawser. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bowline bridle. See under Bowline. --
Branches of a bridle. See under Branch. --
Bridle cable (Naut.), a cable which is bent to a bridle. See 4, above. --
Bridle hand, the hand which holds the bridle in riding; the left hand. --
Bridle path,
Bridle way, a path or way for saddle horses and pack horses, as distinguished from a road for vehicles. --
Bridle port (Naut.), a porthole or opening in the bow through which hawsers, mooring or bridle cables, etc., are passed. --
Bridle rein, a rein attached to the bit. --
Bridle road. (a) Same as Bridle path. Lowell. (b) A road in a pleasure park reserved for horseback exercise. --
Bridle track, a bridle path. --
Scolding bridle. See Branks, 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- A check; restrain. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bridled p. pr. & vb. n. Bridling ] 1. To put a bridle upon; to equip with a bridle; as, to bridle a horse. [ 1913 Webster ]

He bridled her mouth with a silkweed twist. Drake. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To restrain, guide, or govern, with, or as with, a bridle; to check, curb, or control; as, to bridle the passions; to bridle a muse. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

Savoy and Nice, the keys of Italy, and the citadel in her hands to bridle Switzerland, are in that consolidation. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To check; restrain; curb; govern; control; repress; master; subdue. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To hold up the head, and draw in the chin, as an expression of pride, scorn, or resentment; to assume a lofty manner; -- usually with up. “His bridling neck.” Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

By her bridling up I perceived she expected to be treated hereafter not as Jenny Distaff, but Mrs. Tranquillus. Tatler. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Arch.) A strong flat bar of iron, so bent as to support, as in a stirrup, one end of a floor timber, etc., where no sufficient bearing can be had; -- called also stirrup and hanger. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who bridles; one who restrains and governs, as with a bridle. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To move sidewise, as a crab. [ Jocular ]. Southey. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Compar. Idler superl. Idlest. ] [ OE. idel, AS. īdel vain, empty, useless; akin to OS. īdal, D. ijdel, OHG. ītal vain, empty, mere, G. eitel, Dan. & Sw. idel mere, pure, and prob. to Gr. &unr_; clear, pure, &unr_; to burn. Cf. Ether. ] 1. Of no account; useless; vain; trifling; unprofitable; thoughtless; silly; barren. “Deserts idle.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. Matt. xii. 36. [ 1913 Webster ]

Down their idle weapons dropped. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

This idle story became important. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Not called into active service; not turned to appropriate use; unemployed; as, idle hours. [ 1913 Webster ]

The idle spear and shield were high uphing. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Not employed; unoccupied with business; inactive; doing nothing; as, idle workmen. [ 1913 Webster ]

Why stand ye here all the day idle? Matt. xx. 6. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Given rest and ease; averse to labor or employment; lazy; slothful; as, an idle fellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Light-headed; foolish. [ Obs. ] Ford. [ 1913 Webster ]

Idle pulley (Mach.), a pulley that rests upon a belt to tighten it; a pulley that only guides a belt and is not used to transmit power. --
Idle wheel (Mach.), a gear wheel placed between two others, to transfer motion from one to the other without changing the direction of revolution. --
In idle, in vain. [ Obs. ] “God saith, thou shalt not take the name of thy Lord God in idle.” Chaucer.

Syn. -- Unoccupied; unemployed; vacant; inactive; indolent; sluggish; slothful; useless; ineffectual; futile; frivolous; vain; trifling; unprofitable; unimportant. -- Idle, Indolent, Lazy. A propensity to inaction is expressed by each of these words; they differ in the cause and degree of this characteristic. Indolent denotes an habitual love to ease, a settled dislike of movement or effort; idle is opposed to busy, and denotes a dislike of continuous exertion. Lazy is a stronger and more contemptuous term than indolent. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Idled p. pr. & vb. n. Idling ] To lose or spend time in inaction, or without being employed in business. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume; -- often followed by away; as, to idle away an hour a day. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Foolish; stupid. [ Obs. ] “The superstitious idle-headed eld.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Delirious; infatuated. [ Obs. ] L'Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. īdelnes. ] The condition or quality of being idle (in the various senses of that word); uselessness; fruitlessness; triviality; inactivity; laziness.

Syn. -- Inaction; indolence; sluggishness; sloth. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Idle-headed; stupid. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who idles; one who spends his time in inaction; a lazy person; a sluggard. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Naut.) One who has constant day duties on board ship, and keeps no regular watch. Totten. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mach.) An idle wheel or pulley. See under Idle.

{ } n. Idleness. [ Archaic ] “In ydlesse.” Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

And an idlesse all the day
Beside a wandering stream. Mrs. Browning. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having no lid, or not covered with the lids, as the eyes; hence, sleepless; watchful. [ 1913 Webster ]

A lidless watcher of the public weal. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Sidled p. pr. & vb. n. Sidling ] [ From Side. ] To go or move with one side foremost; to move sidewise; as, to sidle through a crowd or narrow opening. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

He . . . then sidled close to the astonished girl. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) (a) The wren. (b) The goldcrest. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ 1st pref. un- + bridle. ] To free from the bridle; to set loose. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. un- not + bridled. ] Loosed from the bridle, or as from the bridle; hence, unrestrained; licentious; violent; as, unbridled passions. “Unbridled boldness.” B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lands deluged by unbridled floods. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Un*bri"dled*ness, n. Abp. Leighton. [1913 Webster]

See high.
See honorable.
See hopeful.
See hostile.
See hurt.
See hhurtful.
See hygienic.
See ideal.
See idle.
See illusory.
See imaginable.
See imaginative.
See immortal.
See implicit.
See important.
See impressible. See >Unimpressible.
See impressionable.
See improvable.
See impugnable.
See incidental.
See increasable.
See indifferent.
See indulgent.
See industrious.
See inflammable.
See influential.
See ingenious.
See ingenuous.
See inhabitable.
See injurious.
See inquisitive.
See instructive.
See intelligent.
See intelligible.
See intentional.
See interesting.
See interpretable.
See inventive.
See investigable.
See jealous.
See joyful.
See joyous.
See justifiable.
See kingly.
See knightly.
See knotty.
See knowable.
See laborious.
See ladylike.
See level.
See libidinous.
See lightsome.
See limber.
See lineal.
See logical.
See lordly.
See losable.
See lovable.
See lucent.
See luminous.
See lustrous.
See lusty.
See maidenly.
See makable.
See malleable.
See manageable.
See manful.
See manlike.
See manly.
See marketable.
See marriable.
See marriageable.
See marvelous.
See masculine.
See matchable.
See matronlike.
See meek.
See meet.
See melodious.
See mendable.
See mentionable.
See mercenary.
See merciable.
See meritable.
See merry.
See metaphorical.
See mighty.
See mild.
See military.
See mindful.
See mingleable.
See miraculous.
See miry.
See mitigable.
See modifiable.
See modish.
See moist.
See monkish.
See motherly.
See muscular.
See musical.
See mysterious.
See namable.
See native.
See navigable.
See needful.
See negotiable.
See niggard.
See noble.
See objectionable.
[ 1913 Webster ]

[ 1913 Webster ]