inertia

noun

in·er·tia | \ i-ˈnər-shə

, -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

inertially \ i-ˈnər-sh(ə-)lē

\ 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

With the free agency of LeBron James looming over the entire franchise, the Cavs chose activity over inertia. — Rob Mahoney, SI.com, "Months Before LeBron's Free Agency, the Cavaliers Braced for the Worst," 29 June 2018 The Shed can be seen as an antidote to the boundless loneliness of the internet and the inertia of on-demand streaming. — Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, "Inside The Shed, Manhattan's New State-of-the-Art Cultural Venue," 12 Dec. 2018 The Superintendent of Criminal Investigations, Hideo Nishimura, was tall and even-featured and had probably been handsome in his youth, but the years at the desk showed in his growing corpulence and a certain slowness in breaking inertia. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Two unlikely cops are paired up to solve murders in a war-torn Tokyo in Ninth Step Station," 8 Dec. 2018 Given the originality of her oblique style, near-documentary fascination with large families and taste for depicting provincial inertia, Ms. Martel both excites and confounds viewers. — J. Hoberman, New York Times, "Lucrecia Martel: A Director Who Confounds and Thrills," 13 Apr. 2018 Currently, he is restrained only by the lingering professionalism of public servants and a few thin threads of institutional inertia. — David Roberts, Vox, "The caravan “invasion” and America’s epistemic crisis," 2 Nov. 2018 Anyone who has looked at a smartphone for hours at a time will tell you how how powerful the smartphone-scroll inertia can be. — Carrie Battan, Harper's BAZAAR, "Escaping the Seduction of Your Smartphone," 26 July 2018 There’s something very real about the way the shorter days put me into this terrible inertia. — Amanda Macmillan, Health.com, "How 5 Real Women Cope With Seasonal Affective Disorder," 15 Feb. 2018 The result is political inertia until a new leader emerges with new energy and ideas to forge a new majority. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Berlin’s Hotel Merkel," 29 Oct. 2018

These 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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Last Updated

4 Feb 2019

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Time Traveler for inertia

The first known use of inertia was in 1713

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More Definitions for inertia

inertia

noun

English 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

noun

in·er·tia | \ i-ˈnər-shə