Antonyms for on the shelf
| Grammar : Adj |
| Spell : shelf |
| Phonetic Transcription : ʃɛlf |
Definition of on the shelf
Origin :- late 14c., from Middle Low German schelf "shelf, set of shelves," or from Old English cognate scylfe, which perhaps meant "shelf, ledge, floor," and scylf "peak, pinnacle," from Proto-Germanic *skelf- "split," possibly from the notion of a split piece of wood (cf. Old Norse skjölf "bench"), from PIE root *(s)kel- (1) "to cut, cleave" (see scale (n.1)).
- Shelf life first recorded 1927. Phrase on the shelf "out of the way, inactive" is attested from 1570s; of unmarried women with no prospects from 1839. Off the shelf "ready-made" is from 1936. Meaning "ledge of rock" is from 1809, perhaps from or influenced by shelf (n.2). Related: Shelves.
- As in on the blink : adj not working continuously
- As in unemployed : adj without a job
- As in broken : adj not working
- As in deferred : adj put off till a later time
- As in dormant : adj inactive; sleeping
Synonyms for on the shelf
- abeyant
- adjourned
- asleep
- assessed
- at liberty
- between jobs
- bonkers
- broken
- busted
- charged
- closed down
- comatose
- coming unglued
- coming unstuck
- defective
- delayed
- disabled
- disengaged
- down
- exhausted
- fallen apart
- fallow
- faulty
- feeble
- fired
- free
- funded
- gone
- gone to pieces
- gone to pot
- haywire
- held up
- hibernating
- idle
- imperfect
- in disrepair
- in need of repair
- in the shop
- in waiting
- inactive
- indebted
- inert
- inoperable
- inoperative
- jobless
- kaput
- kerflooey
- laid off
- latent
- leisured
- lethargic
- loafing
- lurking
- negotiated
- not functioning
- not working
- on hold
- on layoff
- on the bench
- on the blink
- on the dole
- on the fritz
- on the shelf
- out
- out of a job
- out of action
- out of commission
- out of kilter
- out of order
- out of whack
- out of work
- passive
- pigeonholed
- postponed
- potential
- prepatent
- prolonged
- protracted
- quiescent
- remanded
- renegotiated
- resting
- retarded
- ruined
- run-down
- screwed up
- scrubbed
- shot
- sidelined
- slack
- sluggish
- slumbering
- smoldering
- spent
- stalled
- staved off
- suspended
- temporized
- torpid
- unapplied
- underemployed
- unengaged
- unexercised
- unoccupied
- unsatisfactory
- unused
- weak
- without gainful employment
- workless
- wracked
- wrecked
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019