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

Doing so is necessary, Looney said, to account for all the years the foundation amount has remained stagnant. —Theo Peck-Suzuki, Hartford Courant, 5 Mar. 2026

These motion sensor flood lights don’t provide the stagnant, all-night light experts warn against. —Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Mar. 2026

For more than a decade, Fort Worth ISD’s state test scores remained stagnant, even as other big urban districts like Dallas and Houston ISDs made big progress. —Silas Allen, Dallas Morning News, 4 Mar. 2026

Many people at the meeting expressed doubts, citing stagnant parks funding and Parks’ longtime neglect of the lawn. —Kim Velsey, Curbed, 4 Mar. 2026

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