What is the difference between idle and lazy?

Answer 1

Being idle is not doing anything, i.e. you are not switched on or you are inactive.

Lazy is you can't be bothered to do anything or you do not have the drive to do anything.

As a very loose example:

We use the word "idle" to describe a vehicle that is on and running, but just sitting there, neither going forward or backward. "Idling" in vehicle language refers to the car simply sitting although it could do something if the car was put into drive or reverse.

We rarely describe a vehicle as being "lazy" because the word lazy refers to the state of a person rather than an object. But some people try to ascribe personality traits to their vehicles, for example, calling a car a "she" or saying "she is temperamental" when the car doesn't operate as expected. If we ascribed the personality trait of "lazy" to a car, it could be when a car is placed in drive, the car is at the bottom of a hill, with the gas pedal fully applied, but the car barely moves up the hill. The driver might jokingly say, "What a lazy girl-- what do I need to do, get out and push you up this hill?"

So, a person being lazy means they have everything that is necessary to do something or have the ability to do, but simply do nothing. Example: Cathy was an average student who enjoyed math but hated Spanish even though she had the mental ability to learn the language. Instead of studying her Spanish lessons, she spent hours complaining about it. Cathy's mother, in frustration, exclaimed, "Quit being so lazy and just do your Spanish homework!"

Answer 2

"Idele" refers to something that is not being used or inactive, while "lazy" refers to someone who is unwilling to work or exert effort. Idle can refer to things being unused or unoccupied, while lazy specifically applies to people who are unmotivated or unwilling to put in effort.