idleness
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idleness
The state in which one does nothing or does not pursue any particular activity; inactivity or idleness.
Nach der anstrengenden Arbeitswoche freue ich mich auf ein Wochenende voller süßem Nichtstun.
After the exhausting workweek, I'm looking forward to a weekend full of sweet idleness.
'Nichtstun' (doing nothing/idleness) is a nominalized verb. It is formed from the negation 'nicht' (not) and the infinitive 'tun' (to do) and describes the state of being inactive as a kind of activity.
Manchmal ist Nichtstun die beste Medizin gegen Stress.
Sometimes doing nothing is the best medicine for stress.
As a noun, 'Nichtstun' (idleness/doing nothing) is always capitalized and treated as one word. It is neuter and is used with the article 'das.'
Das Nichtstun am Strand hat mir sehr gutgetan.
Doing nothing on the beach did me a lot of good.
A very common and fixed expression is 'das süße Nichtstun' (sweet idleness). It describes enjoyable lazing around and relaxing.
Im Urlaub genieße ich am liebsten das süße Nichtstun.
On vacation, what I enjoy most is sweet idleness.
inaction
Nichtstun and Untätigkeit both refer to a lack of activity. Nichtstun works well when someone simply has nothing to do and may even enjoy this state. Untätigkeit sounds more formal and often emphasizes that someone fails to act despite a necessary response.
Am freien Nachmittag genoss Mia das Nichtstun auf dem Sofa.
Mia enjoyed doing nothing on the sofa that afternoon off.
Während des Notfalls wurde Mias Untätigkeit von ihren Kollegen kritisiert.
During the emergency, Mia's inaction was criticized by her colleagues.
