unreactive

adjective

un·​re·​ac·​tive ˌən-rē-ˈak-tiv 

: not tending to react : not reactive

pupils unreactive to light

chemically unreactive solvents

Examples of unreactive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These are the types of lasers that are best suited to photonics applications that need to use inert materials—oxides are very unreactive—and need to be small. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, 1 June 2019

The intense, self-dramatizing Em and the unmoored but also unreactive and unironic Rohit are married but maybe not for much longer. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2024

They were thought of as chemically unreactive and generally harmless. — Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 13 May 2025

Surrounding this core is an intermediate unreactive layer, for example a zinc sulfide shell. — Gabriel A. Silva, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2021

And the mirrors of the JWST are gilded with gold, an element useful for its unreactive nature and ability to reflect infrared light (not to mention its popularity in jewelry). — Sanjana Curtis, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unreactive

• attractive
• contractive
• extractive
• inactive
• proactive
• reactive
• refractive
• subtractive
• active
• tractive
• bioactive
• hyperactive

Medical Definition

unreactive

adjective

un·​re·​ac·​tive -rē-ˈak-tiv 

: not reactive

pupils unreactive to light

an unreactive gas