शिथिल (shithil)
adjective/noun
A formal/literary adjective meaning 'loose, slack' both physically and figuratively (of grip, discipline, rules, or a body/limb losing tension); a related abstract-noun sense means 'laxity, slackening.'
Sense
1
:
loose, slack, lax (physical or figurative)
adjective
Synonyms: ढीला (dhiilaa), लचर (lachar, of arguments/rules), कमज़ोर (kamzor, weak)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: You'll meet this word most often in a slightly bookish register -- a news anchor saying अनुशासन शिथिल हो गया है (anushaasan shithil ho gayaa hai, 'discipline has become lax') rather than a friend complaining about a loose shoelace. It also shows up describing a body going limp with fatigue or old age, e.g. शिथिल शरीर (shithil shariir, 'a frail/slack body'), which carries a gentler, almost literary sympathy compared to the blunter कमज़ोर (kamzor).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for ढीला (dhiilaa) in casual speech instead; शिथिल (shithil) is the word you'll meet in written or formal contexts -- news reports, official language, or descriptions of discipline/rules becoming lax, rather than in everyday chatter about a loose shirt button. 2) It is commonly paired with पड़ना (padnaa) or होना (honaa) rather than used as a plain adjective before every noun -- शिथिल पड़ गया (shithil pad gayaa, 'went slack/limp') is a very natural collocation to learn as a chunk.
Sample Sentences:
उम्र के साथ उसका शरीर शिथिल हो गया है।
With age, his body has become frail and slack.
(umr ke saath uskaa shariir shithil ho gayaa hai।)
स्कूल में अनुशासन शिथिल हो गया है।
Discipline has become lax in the school.
(skool men anushaasan shithil ho gayaa hai।)
बीमारी के बाद उसकी मांसपेशियां शिथिल पड़ गईं।
After the illness, his muscles went slack.
(biimaarii ke baad uskii maanspeshiyaan shithil pad gaiin।)
सरकार के नियम शिथिल थे, इसलिए भ्रष्टाचार बढ़ा।
The government's rules were lax, so corruption increased.
(sarkaar ke niyam shithil the, islie bhrashtaachaar badhaa।)
अगर नियम शिथिल होते, तो लोग उनका पालन नहीं करते।
If the rules had been lax, people would not have followed them.
(agar niyam shithil hote, to log unkaa paalan nahiin karte।)
थकान से उसकी पकड़ शिथिल हो गई और गिलास हाथ से छूट गया।
From exhaustion, his grip went slack and the glass slipped from his hand.
(thakaan se uskii pakad shithil ho gaii aur gilaas haath se chhoot gayaa।)
समिति को चाहिए कि नियमों को शिथिल न होने दे।
The committee should not let the rules become lax.
(samiti ko chaahie ki niymon ko shithil n hone de।)
बुढ़ापे में उसकी आवाज़ भी शिथिल हो चली थी।
In old age, even his voice had grown feeble and weak.
(budhaape men uskii aavaaz bhii shithil ho chalii thii।)
Sense
2
:
laxity, slackening, loosening (abstract state)
noun, feminine In practice, the abstract noun is almost always the derived form शिथिलता (shithiltaa) rather than शिथिल (shithil) used bare as a noun; this sense appears mainly in compound/formal phrasing.
Synonyms: ढिलाई (dhilaaii), शिथिलता (shithiltaa, the more common abstract-noun form)
Frequency: literary
Cultural Note: If you're reading government or academic Hindi, you'll far more often see शिथिलता (shithiltaa) -- as in नियमों में शिथिलता (niymon men shithiltaa, 'a relaxation in the rules') -- than the bare adjective used nominally; think of शिथिल (shithil) as the root that this more common abstract noun is built from.
Sample Sentences:
लंबी बीमारी के बाद उसके शरीर में एक शिथिल सा भाव आ गया था।
After the long illness, a kind of slackness had come over his body.
(lambii biimaarii ke baad uske shariir men ek shithil saa bhaav aa gayaa thaa।)
प्रशासन में यह शिथिल कभी-कभी अनुशासन की कमी से उत्पन्न होता है।
This laxity in administration sometimes arises from a lack of discipline.
(prashaasan men yah shithil kabhii-kabhii anushaasan kii kamii se utpann hotaa hai।)
यदि मन में शिथिल हो, तो साधना में सफलता नहीं मिलती।
If there is slackness in the mind, one does not attain success in spiritual practice.
(yadi man men shithil ho, to saadhnaa men saphaltaa nahiin miltii।)
काश उसके संकल्प में वह शिथिल न होता।
If only there had not been that slackening in his resolve.
(kaash uske sankalp men vah shithil n hotaa।)
कवि ने अपनी रचना में जीवन के शिथिल को बड़ी गहराई से चित्रित किया है।
The poet has depicted the slackening of life with great depth in his composition.
(kavi ne apnii rachnaa men jiivan ke shithil ko badii gahraaii se chitrit kiyaa hai।)
समय के साथ उसकी निष्ठा में शिथिल आता गया।
Over time, a slackening kept creeping into his devotion.
(samay ke saath uskii nishthaa men shithil aataa gayaa।)
हे प्रभु, मेरी भक्ति में जो शिथिल है, उसे हर लो।
O Lord, take away whatever slackness there is in my devotion.
(he prabhu, merii bhakti men jo shithil hai, use har lo।)
शास्त्रों में कहा गया है कि तप में शिथिल नहीं आने देना चाहिए।
It is said in the scriptures that one should not let slackening enter one's austerities.
(shaastron men kahaa gayaa hai ki tap men shithil nahiin aane denaa chaahie।)
Morphology
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
शिथिल
(shithil)
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
शिथिल
(shithil)
(sg.f.oblique):
शिथिल
(shithil)
(pl.f.direct):
शिथिलें
(shithilen)
(pl.f.oblique):
शिथिलों
(shithilon)