1
as in inertia
lack of action or activity
the inactivity outside the school led me to think that it must have been vacation week
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Recent Examples of inactivity
Zoschak said Van Rootselaar had a year of possible inactivity in 2024, with no traceable posts.
—
Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 15 Feb. 2026
These factors include obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, heavy alcohol use, eating too much red and processed meat, and consuming too few fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 12 Feb. 2026
The long periods of inactivity may have affected Banks’ confidence, which apparently was not very strong to begin with.
—Ernesto Lechner, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Rising physical inactivity, especially among young people, is colliding with escalating climate and nature risks.
—Sebastian Buckup, Time, 7 Feb. 2026
What struck me in the wake of the trade deadline and the Heat’s inactivity is that so few of the trade-deadline report cards even mentioned the Heat.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
Indeed, news of the Spurs’ inactivity at the trade deadline was met with relief in throughout team’s locker room after Thursday’s 135-123 victory over the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 6 Feb. 2026
That correlation can help align pacemaker activity with phone movement or inactivity.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
The state has a low physical inactivity rate of just over 22%, the 13th-lowest in the nation.
—Angela Palermo
february 3, Idaho Statesman, 3 Feb. 2026
Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 15 Feb. 2026
These factors include obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, heavy alcohol use, eating too much red and processed meat, and consuming too few fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 12 Feb. 2026
The long periods of inactivity may have affected Banks’ confidence, which apparently was not very strong to begin with.
—Ernesto Lechner, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Rising physical inactivity, especially among young people, is colliding with escalating climate and nature risks.
—Sebastian Buckup, Time, 7 Feb. 2026
What struck me in the wake of the trade deadline and the Heat’s inactivity is that so few of the trade-deadline report cards even mentioned the Heat.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
Indeed, news of the Spurs’ inactivity at the trade deadline was met with relief in throughout team’s locker room after Thursday’s 135-123 victory over the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 6 Feb. 2026
That correlation can help align pacemaker activity with phone movement or inactivity.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
The state has a low physical inactivity rate of just over 22%, the 13th-lowest in the nation.
—Angela Palermo
february 3, Idaho Statesman, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inactivity
Noun
-
Family ties, children's schools, business networks, cultural amenities, and sheer inertia often matter more than cable-news tax talking points.—
Christopher Marquis,
Time,
18 Feb. 2026
-
But when a single school system dominates the market, whether by design or simple inertia, the incentives flip.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Paxton’s near decade of abuse of the office and neglect of its fundamental responsibilities has caused extensive damage that will take time and good leadership to repair and rebuild.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Our infrastructure has failed to meet the demands of rapid expansion, as evidenced by the 12-year neglect of Eastland, which resulted in job losses and decreased tax revenue.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Climate inaction is a financial liability.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The cruelest trick our minds play on us is convincing us that inaction is safe.—
Brendan Keegan,
Rolling Stone,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
And does a particular level of disuse have to be reached for a word to be dropped into the lexical dustbin?—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2025
-
The term fell largely into disuse with the Axis powers’ defeat in 1945.—
Andrew Latham,
The Conversation,
8 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Spending healthy years in idleness isn’t good for you.—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
14 Feb. 2026
-
DeJean, who recorded the game-changing pick-six in Super Bowl LIX, couldn’t comprehend postseason idleness.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The woman, whose face was blurred in the video, was booked on charges of animal abandonment and resisting arrest.—
Minyvonne Burke,
NBC news,
19 Feb. 2026
-
These were evidenced during England’s European Championship qualifying round game away to Bulgaria in 2019, when officials threatened an abandonment after play was twice stopped due to racist abuse aimed at Tyrone Mings and Raheem Sterling.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inactivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inactivity. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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