inert

adjective

in·​ert i-ˈnərt 

1

: lacking the power to move

2

: very slow to move or act : sluggish

3

: deficient in active properties

especially : lacking a usual or anticipated chemical or biological action

inert noun

inertly adverb

inertness noun

Synonyms

• dead
• dormant
• fallow
• free
• idle
• inactive
• inoperative
• latent
• off
• unused
• vacant

Choose the Right Synonym for inert

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

Examples of inert in a Sentence

an inert and lifeless body

How does he propose to stimulate the inert economy and create jobs?

Recent Examples on the Web

All a full scan could find beyond that is static malware that's inert and not doing any immediate harm. —PCMAG, 13 Sep. 2023

Cover potting soil in an inch-thick layer of small round pebbles or marbles or other inert material. —Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Sep. 2023

It can be kept inert in glass for decades or longer. —Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 19 Aug. 2023

The great Washington Monument that soars nearby, not to mention the World War II Memorial down the way, seem almost inert compared with the life and energy of this little playground. —Blake Gopnik, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2023

This basically means that the energy-transporting processes that make life possible likely predated life itself, which provides a bridge between the inert materials of early Earth and the living organisms that evolved from that initially lifeless landscape. —Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 16 Aug. 2023

Out came inert and harmless scrap metal, falling off a conveyor belt into an ordinary brown dumpster with a resounding clank. —John Ismay, New York Times, 6 July 2023

Instead, one of the best ways to practice is by using inert cans of bear spray. —Cameron Evans, Outdoor Life, 6 July 2023

They were arrested there after allegedly planting bombs that were, in fact, packed with inert explosives supplied by the FBI. —Michael R. Sisak and Jennifer Peltz, BostonGlobe.com, 28 July 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Latin inert-, iners unskilled, idle, from in- + art-, ars skill — more at arm

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing inert

• inert gas

• inert gas

Kids Definition

inert

adjective

in·​ert in-ˈərt 

: unable or slow to move, act, or react

inert ingredients in cough medicine

inert gas

inertly adverb

inertness noun

Medical Definition

inert

adjective

in·​ert in-ˈərt 

1

: lacking the power to move

2

: deficient in active properties

especially : lacking a usual or anticipated chemical or biological action

an inert drug

inertness noun