Definition of QUIESCENT

Choose the Right Synonym for quiescent

latent, dormant, quiescent, potential mean not now showing signs of activity or existence. latent applies to a power or quality that has not yet come forth but may emerge and develop. a latent desire for success dormant suggests the inactivity of something (such as a feeling or power) as though sleeping. their passion had lain dormant quiescent suggests a usually temporary cessation of activity. the disease was quiescent potential applies to what does not yet have existence or effect but is likely soon to have. a potential disaster

Did You Know?

Quiescent won't cause you any pain, and neither will its synonyms "latent," "dormant," and "potential," at least not immediately. All four words mean "not now showing signs of activity or existence." "Latent" usually applies to something that has not yet come forth but may emerge and develop, as in "a latent desire for success." "Dormant" implies a state of inactivity similar to sleep, as in "their passions lay dormant." "Potential" applies to what may or may not come to be. "A potential disaster" is a typical example. "Quiescent," which traces to the Latin quiescere (meaning "to become quiet" or "to rest"), often suggests a temporary cessation of activity, as in "a quiescent disease" or "a summer resort quiescent in wintertime."

Examples of quiescent in a Sentence

a group of quiescent loungers recovering from the Thanksgiving feast

Recent Examples on the Web Another implication is that quiescent black holes like this could be much more common than thought, suggesting there are many more to be discovered. — Jonathan O'callaghan, Scientific American, "Astronomers May Have Found the Closest Black Hole to Earth," 6 May 2020 Sunagawa’s group’s paper in Nature even includes a passage that speculates about inducing this quiescent state for astronauts going into deep space. — Simon Makin, Scientific American, "Switch in Mouse Brain Induces a Deep Slumber Similar to Hibernation," 15 June 2020 Many Americans had forgotten about or remained unaware of the active but quiescent volcanoes of the Cascades, the mountainous spine snaking up the West Coast, said Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, a geophysicist at Western Washington University. — Robin George Andrews, New York Times, "The Mount St. Helens Eruption Was the Volcanic Warning We Needed," 18 May 2020 And no wonder: With inflation quiescent, the Federal Reserve and most other central banks look unlikely to raise interest rates soon. — WSJ, "Bond Funds Are Hotter Than Tesla," 7 Feb. 2020 Although astronomers have long known that any quasar will eventually become quiescent as its central black hole exhausts its feedstock of gas and dust, such objects are so immense in scale that the process should take tens of thousands of years. — Shannon Hall, Scientific American, "Lights Out: Astronomers Illuminate the Mystery of Vanishing Quasars," 12 Dec. 2019 The Whitlam example suggests that there’s no need for the Crown to be so quiescent. — David Fickling | Bloomberg, Washington Post, "Queen Can Call Boris Johnson’s Latest Brexit Bluff," 10 Oct. 2019 Dan Kern, chief investment officer at TFC Financial in Boston, doesn’t see the harm in the Fed trimming rates a couple of times this year, especially with inflation quiescent. — Larry Edelman, BostonGlobe.com, "Fed puts its credibility on the line with plan to cut rates while US economy is still healthy," 30 July 2019 But such quiescent inflation also reflects the sluggishness of the expansion: Growth hasn’t been high enough to overheat the economy, which is normally what causes inflation to accelerate. — Washington Post, "Plentiful jobs but slow growth: 10 facts about the expansion," 1 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'quiescent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.