Main Entry:

in·ac·tive

Pronunciation:

\(ˌ)i-ˈnak-tiv\

Function:

adjective

Date:

1664

: not active: as a (1): sedentary (2): indolent, sluggish b (1): being out of use (2): relating to or being members of the armed forces who are not performing or available for military duties (3)of a disease : quiescent c (1): chemically inert (2): optically neutral in polarized light d: biologically inert especially because of the loss of some quality (as infectivity or antigenicity)

— in·ac·tive·ly adverb

— in·ac·tiv·i·ty \-ˌnak-ˈti-və-tē\ noun

synonyms inactive, idle, inert, passive, supine mean not engaged in work or activity. inactive applies to anyone or anything not in action or in operation or at work <on inactive status as an astronaut> <inactive accounts>. idle applies to persons that are not busy or occupied or to their powers or their implements <workers were idle in the fields>. inert as applied to things implies powerlessness to move or to affect other things; as applied to persons it suggests an inherent or habitual indisposition to activity <inert ingredients in drugs> <an inert citizenry>. passive implies immobility or lack of normally expected response to an external force or influence and often suggests deliberate submissiveness or self-control <passive resistance>. supine applies only to persons and commonly implies abjectness or indolence <a supine willingness to play the fool>.