in·er·tia | \ i-ˈnər-shə 
, -shē-ə \
, -shē-ə \Definition of inertia
1a : a property of matter by which it remains at rest or in uniform motion in the same straight line unless acted upon by some external force
b : an analogous property of other physical quantities (such as electricity)
2 : indisposition to motion, exertion, or change : inertness
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Other Words from inertia
inertial \ i-ˈnər-shəl , -shē-əl \ adjective
, -shē-əl \ adjectiveinertially \ i-ˈnər-sh(ə-)lē \ adverb
\ adverb
Examples of inertia in a Sentence
He blames governmental inertia for the holdup.
After 10 years in an unsatisfying job she overcame her inertia and went back to school.
Recent Examples on the Web This year has Gorilla Glued us to uncomfortable couches in a thick, depressive inertia.
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Bahar Ostadan, Vogue, "How the Nextdoor App Brought Me Optimism (and an Abundance of Free Home Decor) in 2020," 23 Dec. 2020 Breaking into home loans and insurance products means working in new regulatory frameworks and taking on established companies, not to mention breaking the inertia of the status quo.
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Patrick Clark, Bloomberg.com, "Opendoor Faces an Expensive Path to Profitability in Real Estate," 22 Dec. 2020 The newest name in inertia guns, Retay is quickly gaining a following, especially among Southern waterfowlers.
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Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream, "The Best 20-Gauge Shotguns for Hunting Waterfowl," 30 Nov. 2020 The buttstock of inertia guns must be firmly placed against your shoulder (the action needs that backstop to operate properly).
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Chris Mudgett, Outdoor Life, "Why a Shotgun Is a Great Option for Home Defense—Plus 3 Guns You Should Buy," 18 Sep. 2020 The relative weight of a tire is important because that weight moves up and down over every bump, and more inertia in those movements can dramatically worsen ride quality.
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Wes Siler, Outdoor Life, "How to Build the Ultimate Hunting Truck," 29 Sep. 2020 Keeping the focus Despite the 2018 National Defense Strategy and its focus on Asia, inertia and history can still keep the attention of the US defense establishment tilted toward Europe, analysts said.
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Brad Lendon, CNN, "China's military rise poses the greatest foreign policy challenge to the next US President," 29 Oct. 2020 This can be considered a good thing since your inertia might prevent you from making an irrevocable mistake.
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Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, "Horoscope for Oct. 23, 2020: Happy birthday Emilia Clark; Scorpio, you’ll be forced to choose a side," 23 Oct. 2020 More weight also adds inertia that must be overcome in order to accelerate or decelerate a spinning tire, impairing both braking and acceleration.
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Wes Siler, Outdoor Life, "How to Build the Ultimate Hunting Truck," 29 Sep. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inertia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for inertia
inertia
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of inertia
: lack of movement or activity especially when movement or activity is wanted or needed
: a feeling of not having the energy or desire that is needed to move, change, etc.
physics : a property of matter by which something that is not moving remains still and something that is moving goes at the same speed and in the same direction until another thing or force affects it
See the full definition for inertia in the English Language Learners Dictionary
inertia
nounin·er·tia | \ i-ˈnər-shə \
\Kids Definition of inertia
1 : a property of matter by which it remains at rest or in motion in the same straight line unless acted upon by some external force
2 : a tendency not to move or change
He stayed at the job mostly because of his inertia.
inertia
nounin·er·tia | \ in-ˈər-shə, -shē-ə \
\Medical Definition of inertia
1a : a property of matter by which it remains at rest or in uniform motion in the same straight line unless acted upon by some external force
b : an analogous property of other physical quantities (as electricity)
2 : lack of activity or movement
—used especially of the uterus in labor when its contractions are weak or irregular
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Time Traveler for inertia
The first known use of inertia was in 1713
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