Synonyms of inactive

inactive

adjective

(ˌ)i-ˈnak-tiv 

1

as in sleepy

slow to move or act

it's easiest to catch snakes early in the morning, while they're still cold and inactive

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sleepy
• quiescent
• dull
• inert
• lethargic
• sluggish
• torpid
• motionless
• lazy
• resting
• dormant
• static
• sedentary
• apathetic
• listless
• indolent
• slothful
• shiftless
• still
• asleep
• slack
• inanimate
• dead
• languorous
• drugged
• ambitionless
• lazyish
• comatose
• drowsy
• dopey
• catatonic
• sluggardly
• sluggard
• somnambulant
• dopy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• active
• engaged
• busy
• occupied
• working
• dynamic
• vigorous
• energetic
• vital
• kinetic
• lively
• spirited
• animated
• vivacious
• bouncing
• sprightly
• diligent
• industrious
• hardworking
• assiduous
• perky
• springy
• peppy
• zippy
• sedulous

2

as in dormant

not being in a state of use, activity, or employment

an inactive oil well

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dormant
• off
• vacant
• idle
• unused
• inert
• dead
• latent
• inoperative
• free
• at rest
• out of commission
• fallow
• on the shelf
• suspended
• useless
• unoccupied
• quiescent
• unusable
• interrupted
• asleep
• arrested
• comatose
• lifeless
• moribund
• slow
• sleepy
• inoperable
• unworkable
• abeyant
• dull

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• active
• operating
• busy
• on
• operative
• functioning
• alive
• working
• employed
• operational
• functional
• living
• going
• workable
• operable
• running
• industrious
• useful
• vigorous
• energetic
• practical
• viable
• feasible
• usable
• assiduous
• sedulous
• useable

Synonym Chooser

How is the word inactive different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of inactive are idle, inert, passive, and supine. While all these words mean "not engaged in work or activity," inactive applies to anyone or anything not in action or in operation or at work.

on inactive status as an astronaut

inactive accounts

When could idle be used to replace inactive?

In some situations, the words idle and inactive are roughly equivalent. However, idle applies to persons that are not busy or occupied or to their powers or their implements.

workers were idle in the fields

When can inert be used instead of inactive?

The words inert and inactive can be used in similar contexts, but inert as applied to things implies powerlessness to move or to affect other things; as applied to persons it suggests an inherent or habitual indisposition to activity.

inert ingredients in drugs

an inert citizenry

When is it sensible to use passive instead of inactive?

The words passive and inactive are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, passive implies immobility or lack of normally expected response to an external force or influence and often suggests deliberate submissiveness or self-control.

passive resistance

When is supine a more appropriate choice than inactive?

The meanings of supine and inactive largely overlap; however, supine applies only to persons and commonly implies abjectness or indolence.

a supine willingness to play the fool

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of inactive

More than half the products contained fragrance — a common cause of allergic contact dermatitis — and 20 other inactive ingredients that are known allergens, according to the study. —Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 9 June 2025

The good news is that this disease becomes inactive when humidity drops below 85 percent, and it is killed when temperatures stay at more than 80 degrees for several days. —Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2025

Florida’s guard was inactive for around 75 years until DeSantis reactivated it in 2022. —Siena Duncan, Miami Herald, 10 June 2025

Others are still discouraged from the paring back of incentives for domestic productions and have been inactive. —Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 9 June 2025