stagnant

adjective

stag·​nant ˈstag-nənt 

1

a(1)

: not flowing in a current or stream

stagnant water

(2)

: without inflow and outflow

a stagnant pool

b

: stale

long disuse had made the air stagnant and foul

—Bram Stoker

2

: not advancing or developing

a stagnant economy

stagnancy

ˈstag-nən(t)-sē 

noun

stagnantly adverb

Examples of stagnant in a Sentence

… many people who make their living in academia are reasonably well insulated from financial devastation. For most tenured faculty, the worst they are likely to experience is stagnant pay and deferred retirement. —Andrew Delbanco, The New York Review of Books, 14 May 2009

"For adults, entertainment needs to be relevant to their life." Chen points to the stagnant US comic book industry as an example of irrelevance. "I don't want to see video games become like American superhero comics," he admits. "American comics live and die based on a very niche audience. In Japan, comics are a national art form." —Sid Shuman, Gamepro, May 2009

The blue-green algae blooms can occur in both freshwater and saltwater environments, but are most commonly found in stagnant bodies of water enriched by runoff, Paerl said. Public health officials in the southeastern United States are beginning to monitor water supplies for some of the toxins. —Bridget M. Kuehn, Journal of the American Medical Association, 25 May 2005

Recent Examples on the Web

During the dry summers when no water flows over the weir the lagoon becomes stagnant, sometimes filling with algae and killing off large numbers of fish. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025

The defense was stellar, holding UF to just 141 yards and 0 for 13 on third down, but the offense was stagnant most of the game until putting together two solid touchdown drives late to pull away in a game that was only 13-7 late in the third quarter. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2025

However, Silver notes that these polls traditionally have Trump scoring lower and include recent polling on his approval rating, which has been fairly stagnant recently, but is showing signs of getting lower. —Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025

Its economy has been in a long funk tied to an aging and stagnant population. —Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see stagnate

First Known Use

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Kids Definition

stagnant

adjective

stag·​nant ˈstag-nənt 

1

: not flowing in a current or stream : motionless

2

: not active or brisk

stagnant business