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
What the New Study Found The researchers recruited 64 sedentary adults between the ages of 40 and 65.
—
Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 5 Mar. 2026
Exercise during the day, not right before bed A 2024 study published in Nature Scientific Reports found that people who engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity during the day fell asleep more quickly than sedentary individuals.
—Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 4 Mar. 2026
While students with behavioral health risks — meaning those with high electronic media use, substance use, a lot of sedentary behavior, and more — consistently had higher rates of insufficient sleep, the increases across groups were similar.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 Mar. 2026
Several factors may be contributing to the higher risk for younger generations, the investigators said, including rising obesity rates, sedentary lifestyles, alcohol use and diets high in ultraprocessed foods.
—Dr. Ishani D. Premaratne, ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sedentary
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 5 Mar. 2026
Exercise during the day, not right before bed A 2024 study published in Nature Scientific Reports found that people who engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity during the day fell asleep more quickly than sedentary individuals.
—Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 4 Mar. 2026
While students with behavioral health risks — meaning those with high electronic media use, substance use, a lot of sedentary behavior, and more — consistently had higher rates of insufficient sleep, the increases across groups were similar.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 Mar. 2026
Several factors may be contributing to the higher risk for younger generations, the investigators said, including rising obesity rates, sedentary lifestyles, alcohol use and diets high in ultraprocessed foods.
—Dr. Ishani D. Premaratne, ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sedentary
Cite this Entry
“Sedentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sedentary. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
