stagnant

stag·nant

adjective \ˈstag-nənt\

Definition of STAGNANT

1

a : not flowing in a current or stream <stagnant water>

b : stale <long disuse had made the air stagnant and foul — Bram Stoker>

2

: not advancing or developing <a stagnant economy>

— stag·nan·cy \-nən(t)-sē\ noun

— stag·nant·ly adverb

Examples of STAGNANT

1. … 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, New York Review of Books, 14 May 2009
2. “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
3. 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

Origin of STAGNANT

(see stagnate)

First Known Use: 1666