stationary

adjective

sta·tion·ary ˈstā-shə-ˌner-ē

Synonyms of stationary next

: fixed in a station, course, or mode : immobile

: unchanging in condition

a stationary population

Did you know?

stationary or stationery?

The Internet is awash with mnemonics (“something (such as a word, a sentence, or a song) that helps people remember something“) designed to assist those who have trouble distinguishing between two similar words. A fair share of these turn out to be for the words stationery and stationary. The most commonly suggested method is to remember that you buy papER at a stationERy store. If this trick does not work for you, then perhaps it will help to remember that a stationery store is one that is run by a stationer. This word was originally applied to a bookseller, but by the middle of the 17th century it began to be used for a person who sells papers, pens, and office goods.

Example Sentences

Einstein imagined a beam of light piercing the elevator. If the elevator were rising relative to the source of light, the beam would enter at a certain height on one side of the elevator and appear to curve on its way to a lower height on the opposite wall. Einstein then imagined that the elevator were stationary on the surface of the earth. Since he postulated that the two circumstances are the same, Einstein concluded that the same effect would have to hold true for both. In other words, gravity must bend light. —

Smithsonian, June 2005

By pushing the keys with the side of his fist and pushing foot pedals, the player transfers mechanical force to clappers, which strike the stationary bells, which are tuned to specific notes. —

Douglas Martin, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2003

And while atomic reactors and chemical storage facilities are the sort of stationary targets that invite bombing, bioweapons laboratory materials are small enough to be put in a truck and moved to another location. —

Gregg Easterbrook, New Republic, 25 Feb. 2002

The weather front has remained stationary over the Southeast. a stationary bicycle is good for exercise, but you won't enjoy the scenery very much

Recent Examples on the Web Some of its cars collided with a stationary freight train. —

Dan Bilefsky, New York Times, 2 June 2023 Among them are 15 pages of lyrics, which Mercury wrote with pencil on stationary from the now-defunct airline British Midland Airways. —

Emlyn Travis, EW.com, 1 June 2023 Cubic feet per minute (CFM) measures how much air is passing by a stationary point in one minute. —

Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 June 2023 Additionally, be sure to clear vegetation from under stationary propane tanks. —

Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 31 May 2023 This includes items such as speakers, appliances, stationary bikes, and treadmills. —

Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, 31 May 2023 After a relatively stationary winter, during which the female died, Wolf 258 traveled into the northwest corner of Yukon Territory, across the Arctic coast, and back south, paralleling the Dalton Highway, to the Yukon River. —

Nancy Lord, Anchorage Daily News, 28 May 2023 Pretty planners, festive stationary, and giftable mugs are 25 percent off with code BLOOM25 for a limited time. —

Claire Harmeyer, Peoplemag, 26 May 2023 The $40 million fine, which includes stipulated penalties for violations of an earlier settlement, is the largest civil penalty ever secured for a Clean Air Act stationary source settlement, according to a statement from the DOJ and EPA. —

Alex Dalton, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stationary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.