stagnation

noun

stag·​na·​tion stag-ˈnā-shən 

: a stagnant state or condition : a state or condition marked by lack of flow, movement, or development

In short, the increasing contamination and stagnation of the segment of river had become a matter of concern.

—Ryan Holifield and Nick Schuelke

In 1664, when plague had struck Amsterdam again, with the usual stagnation of trade that followed its worst attacks, the sight of a shooting star was taken as axiomatic confirmation of divine displeasure.

—Simon Schama

Examples of stagnation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One of the recurring challenges Ullrich has witnessed is the premature stagnation of growth due to a founder’s inability (or unwillingness) to evolve. —Nia Bowers, USA Today, 19 July 2025

When one of these elements is missing, the outcome can be confusion, resistance, frustration, anxiety or stagnation. —Saby Waraich, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025

That phenomenon of early-career productivity followed by late-career stagnation and decline is prevalent beyond sports. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 July 2025

Over a balmy, slowly dissipating summer, nothing really pushes or pulls our aimless hero in either direction, and in this state of happy stagnation, melancholy becomes a comfort blanket. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 9 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1644, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stagnation

• ablation
• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation
• collation