1
as in sleeping
being in a state of suspended consciousness
the bears lay dormant in their den during the winter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in vacant
not being in a state of use, activity, or employment
the engine lay dormant in the garage until we found a use for it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dormant
Shipbuilding in the United States has been all but dormant.
—
Adam Reiss, NBC news, 17 July 2025
While Nine Inch Nails itself has been largely dormant since 2020’s Ghosts album series, Reznor and Ross have still been busy working behind the scenes.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2025
That rivalry, dormant since the last meeting in 2011, will renew as a non-conference clash on Sept. 6 in Columbia.
—Blake Toppmeyer, The Tennessean, 12 July 2025
Her plan, then, is to reinvigorate his dormant bloodlust.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dormant
Adam Reiss, NBC news, 17 July 2025
While Nine Inch Nails itself has been largely dormant since 2020’s Ghosts album series, Reznor and Ross have still been busy working behind the scenes.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2025
That rivalry, dormant since the last meeting in 2011, will renew as a non-conference clash on Sept. 6 in Columbia.
—Blake Toppmeyer, The Tennessean, 12 July 2025
Her plan, then, is to reinvigorate his dormant bloodlust.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dormant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dormant
Adjective
-
None of the 408 properties — occupied or vacant — at the center of the litigation have a certificate of compliance, according to the city's lawsuit, which also alleges hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid blight violations.—
Nushrat Rahman,
Freep.com,
25 July 2025
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After hosting pop ups at Batch and elsewhere for a couple of years, Lit offered Fulco the vacant trailer space at Batch.—
Matthew Odam,
Austin American Statesman,
25 July 2025
Adjective
-
These student-parents are balancing coursework with working full time, picking up their children from school and studying for long hours after their families are asleep.—
Rita Raichoudhuri,
Chicago Tribune,
23 July 2025
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Federal prosecutors found that during the police raid on March 13, 2020, Hankison blindly fired 10 shots into Taylor’s apartment but did not fire the bullets that killed Taylor, who was asleep in her bed, per a sentencing memorandum obtained by PEOPLE.—
Nicole Acosta,
People.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
Those with a relationship cash value of less than $250,000 can get 0.15% APY on their idle funds, while the largest accounts – those with $10 million or above in cash balances – can pick up 2.28%.—
Darla Mercado, CFP®,
CNBC,
22 July 2025
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The music can sound surpassingly anodyne, built for commercials and idle, low-wattage daydreaming.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
17 July 2025
Adjective
-
During the resting phase, hair stops growing and will shed, or fall out.—
Jessica Swirble,
Verywell Health,
10 July 2025
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Telogen Stage The telogen stage of the hair cycle is a resting phase, during which the hair doesn't grow, and the follicle is dormant.1 About 10% to 15% of the hairs on your body are in this resting phase at any one time, which typically lasts for a few months.—
Nancy LeBrun,
Verywell Health,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
This includes physical assets like IT hardware, networking equipment and office infrastructure, but also intangible assets like intellectual property, unused software licenses, real estate and even entire business units that no longer align with the company’s strategic goals.—
Albert Golukhov,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
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But other times, windows would be rearranged seemingly at random, with unused space and weird gaps that require you to fuss around and move all your windows around again.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
Pete Crow-Armstrong, Justin Turner and more were in attendance, taking advantage of the Cubs having an off day after several of them put in a shift signing autographs at The National earlier in the day.—
The Athletic Collectibles Staff,
New York Times,
1 Aug. 2025
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The attacker, 27-year-old Shane Devon Tamura, entered the office tower with an assault rifle and body armor, fatally shooting a security guard, a Blackstone executive, a Rudin Management associate, and an off-duty NYPD officer before taking his own life.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
31 July 2025
Adjective
-
Within months, however, Carter’s financial backer Lord Carnarvon was dead from a mysterious illness.—
Justin Stebbing,
JSTOR Daily,
24 July 2025
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There has been a gradual normalization of ties between India and China in recent months after relations were deeply strained in June 2020, when a brutal hand-to-hand battle in the Galwan Valley left at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
After a tumultuous few years of romance, infidelity, breakups and lawsuits, Fleetwood Mac has been largely inactive for decades, though many of its rotating roster of members have had robust solo careers.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
29 July 2025
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More cannabis licenses are now inactive or surrendered (10,828) than active (8,514), representing the loss of 7,100 small farms, thousands of brands, and nearly 22,000 jobs over two years.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dormant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dormant. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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