He was just <u>idle</u> by temperament. (Select the word that is most opposite in meaning to the underlined word.)

Correct: C, 'industrious'. The phrase 'by temperament' fixes 'idle' in its character sense (habitually disinclined to work) and the opposite of that disposition is being industrious, or hard-working by nature. Both words describe what a person is like rather than what he happens to be doing.

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  employed: This reverses a different sense of 'idle', the one meaning out of work; a man can hold a job and still be lazy by nature.
• (b)
  occupied: Being occupied is a momentary state (busy just now) whereas 'by temperament' asks for a settled trait.
• (d)
  happy: Happiness is a mood and lies on an axis the underlined word never touches.

'Idle' carries three settled senses (lazy by disposition, not currently in use or at work, and without foundation, as in an idle rumour) and each has its own opposite.

Key facts

• An idle machine is one standing unused, which is the sense behind 'idle capacity'.
• An idle threat or idle gossip is one with nothing behind it.
• 'Industrious' means diligent and hard-working, and is unrelated in sense to 'industrial'.

Common traps

• Picking 'employed' by reading 'idle' as unemployed.
• Overlooking 'by temperament', which is the only pointer to the character sense.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice, not a real PYQ

  Choose the word most opposite in meaning to 'idle' in 'He is idle by nature.'

  • (a)busy
  • (b)diligent
  • (c)hired
  • (d)restless
  Answer(b) diligent: of a person's nature, the reverse of idle is hard-working.
• practice, not a real PYQ

  Choose the word most opposite in meaning to 'idle' in 'The machines lay idle for a month.'

  • (a)hardworking
  • (b)operational
  • (c)modern
  • (d)noisy
  Answer(b) operational: of a machine, idle means standing unused.