sedentary

adjective

sed·​en·​tary ˈse-dᵊn-ˌter-ē 

1

: not migratory : settled

sedentary birds

sedentary civilizations

2

a

: doing or requiring much sitting

a sedentary job

b

: not physically active

a sedentary lifestyle

3

: permanently attached

sedentary barnacles

Did you know?

Sit and Learn About Sedentary

Sedentary comes from the Latin verb sedēre, meaning "to sit." Other descendants of sedēre include dissident, insidious, preside, reside, and subsidy. Sedēre is also the base of the rare sedens, a noun that refers to a person who remains a resident of the place or region of their birth.

Examples of sedentary in a Sentence

Editing the dictionary is a sedentary job.

The work is very sedentary.

Their health problems were caused by their sedentary lifestyles.

He became sedentary later on in his life.

Recent Examples on the Web

Too many people still view exercise as a way to compensate for an otherwise sedentary lifestyle. — Dana Santas, CNN Money, 7 July 2026

Furthermore, modern sedentary lifestyles mean fundamental human movements are chronically undertrained, contributing directly to systemic stiffness and physical burnout. — Ginger Gentile, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

After the six weeks of sleep deprivation, however, the participants had gained about a pound, on average, and their sedentary time had increased by an average of 17 minutes. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 6 July 2026

As a caveat, the authors added that the study can't prove that sedentary behavior directly causes cancer and that the wearable devices only tracked behavior during a limited period. — Adam England, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French sedentaire, from Latin sedentarius, from sedent-, sedens, present participle of sedēre to sit — more at sit

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Rhymes for sedentary

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• apiary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• bacillary
• beriberi
• bestiary
• breviary
• budgetary

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Kids Definition

sedentary

adjective

sed·​en·​tary ˈsed-ᵊn-ˌter-ē 

1

: not migratory : settled

sedentary birds

2

: doing or requiring much sitting

a sedentary job

Medical Definition

sedentary

adjective

sed·​en·​tary ˈsed-ᵊn-ˌter-ē 

: doing or requiring much sitting : characterized by a lack of physical activity

increased risk of heart disease for those with sedentary jobs