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

Yet, the slightly higher target of 2°C warming remains achievable, albeit increasingly difficult with every passing year of inaction. —Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 14 July 2025

But Jose says the sudden overall enthusiasm for food additive regulation reflects consumer frustration with federal inaction and an abrupt political embrace of the issue by conservative lawmakers historically resistant to regulation. —Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 30 July 2025

American Eagle’s inaction suggests either unpreparedness or a calculated gamble that the storm will pass. —Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 29 July 2025

All government actions and policies of inaction must be constitutionally compliant. —Mel Martin, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 July 2025