Synonyms of inaction

inaction

noun

(ˌ)i-ˈnak-shən 

as in inertia

lack of action or activity

as a result of the park department's inaction, the city's pools are not ready to open for the summer

Synonyms & Similar Words

• inertia
• inactivity
• nonaction
• inertness
• idleness
• laziness
• quiescence
• lethargy
• dormancy
• sleepiness
• indolence
• sloth
• sluggishness
• lounging
• loafing
• lassitude
• languor
• shiftlessness
• listlessness
• dallying
• lolling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• action
• activity
• activeness
• exuberance
• robustness
• vivacity
• liveliness
• industry
• vibrancy
• briskness
• employment
• occupation
• diligence
• sprightliness
• business
• industriousness
• assiduity
• animateness
• jazziness
• peppiness
• assiduousness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of inaction

Outsourcing the job to non-state actors allows aggressors to avoid activating the terms that trigger action in security alliances, making the reputational damage of inaction by the security guarantor much lower. —Omar Al-Ubaydli, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2025

Was this a deliberate inaction by Suarez? —Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025

Every day of inaction brings us closer to a crisis. —Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2025

Beijing, willing to back any regime regardless of its ideology or tactics, has stepped into the breach left by Washington’s inaction. —Dan Swift, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025