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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Recent Examples of dormant
There are frequent times when the offense goes dormant.
—
Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Once chickenpox subsides, the virus can remain dormant in a person’s body for decades before erupting again.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Like the virus that causes chicken pox (varicella-zoster), HPV can lie dormant in the body for decades.
—Liz Szabo, Scientific American, 29 Apr. 2025
Technology teams were left stranded, waiting months for essential components or scrambling to find alternatives from dormant inventories to maintain continuity.
—Archaana Pattabhii, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dormant
Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Once chickenpox subsides, the virus can remain dormant in a person’s body for decades before erupting again.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Like the virus that causes chicken pox (varicella-zoster), HPV can lie dormant in the body for decades.
—Liz Szabo, Scientific American, 29 Apr. 2025
Technology teams were left stranded, waiting months for essential components or scrambling to find alternatives from dormant inventories to maintain continuity.
—Archaana Pattabhii, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dormant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dormant
Adjective
-
Fast forward: After three years, the site remains vacant, fenced and undeveloped.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
14 May 2025
-
Inside the one-story cinder block building, three state health officials sat along a table at the front of the largely vacant room.—
Margaret Coker,
ProPublica,
14 May 2025
Adjective
-
When the children are asleep, Charlotte and Raffi can grab the baby monitor and hop the balcony wall to their friends’ house.—
Rhaina Cohen,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2025
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One of them is asleep, actually, or maybe dead already?—
Allegra Leal,
New Yorker,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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By adjusting power consumption dynamically, the tool could help reduce unnecessary background activity and extend battery life—especially during idle periods or when apps are not in active use.—
Tahar Rajab,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
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That's no idle pledge calculated to preserve market share — Keen has been steadily retooling the business for years to protect itself from sudden shifts in global trade and the vagaries of geopolitics.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
9 May 2025
Adjective
-
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
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Green Bay could finish as high as sixth in the NFC if the resting Rams lose to the 49ers, potentially setting up a first-round matchup against the division-rival Lions.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
6 Jan. 2024
Adjective
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Unsupervised models offer a scalable way to extract insights from data that would otherwise go unused.—
Christer Holloman,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
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After more than a week of oil shooting vertically out of an unused well off the coast of Louisiana, the U.S. Coast Guard announced Sunday evening that the offshore well blowout — first reported on April 26 — has been controlled.—
Dan Ruetenik,
CBS News,
5 May 2025
Adjective
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Signs that frozen chicken has gone bad include freezer burn, an off smell or texture, and discoloration.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
10 May 2025
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Winston will be an example of an off the field leader Dart can learn from, which is likely the reason for Winston earning a two-year contract compared to Wilson’s one-year deal.—
Tyler Small,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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First responders pulled Boutwell out of the car and realized another person was dead under the vehicle, according to the sheriff, who added that the person who shot Boutwell is responsible for Jones’ death as well.—
Olivia Lloyd,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2025
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According to the Orange County Sheriff's Department, the officer found a dead male victim in the front seat of Kraft’s vehicle along with empty beer bottles and an open bottle of the sedative medication Lorazepam.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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The Alarm was inactive for most of that decade before regrouping and continuing to record and tour.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2025
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In March 1984 Lonoke bought the inactive depot on behalf of the society.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dormant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dormant. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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