inaction

noun

in·​ac·​tion (ˌ)i-ˈnak-shən 

: lack of action or activity : idleness

protesting the administration's inaction

Synonyms of inaction

• inertia

Examples of inaction in a Sentence

The protesters criticized the administration's inaction on environmental issues.

We must consider the consequences of continued inaction.

Recent Examples on the Web

Juries are often reluctant to convict law enforcement officers for inaction, as seen after the 2018 school massacre in Parkland, Fla. —Valerie Gonzalez, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026

Juries are often reluctant to convict law enforcement officers for inaction, as seen after the Parkland, Florida, school massacre in 2018. —Valerie Gonzalez, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026

And while criticism of insurance companies was bipartisan, Republicans and Democrats also blamed one another for the crisis, with the GOP faulting Obamacare and Democrats accusing Republicans of using the hearings to deflect from their own inaction to address rising premiums. —Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 22 Jan. 2026

Samuel Hall, president of a nonprofit that investigates child exploitation, warned against inaction. —Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1707, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for inaction

• abstraction
• attraction
• compaction
• contraction
• detraction
• diffraction
• distraction
• exaction
• extraction
• impaction
• infraction
• olfaction

Kids Definition

inaction

noun

in·​ac·​tion (ˈ)in-ˈak-shən 

: lack of action or activity : idleness