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
One of the dogs had pressure sores on all of its limbs, indicating inactivity, the detective wrote.
—
David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
How periods of inactivity affect cognitive performance For most of us, everyday life is characterized by a lack of movement.
—Desireé Oostland, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2026
Your credit card accounts may be closed by the issuer after a certain period of inactivity, which could hurt your credit by reducing your total available credit.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
The long stretch of inactivity came during a period of national interest in YOSAR.
—Gavin Feek, Outside, 31 Dec. 2025
While city centers across metro Phoenix have been evolving, downtown Glendale has suffered from stagnation and inactivity.
—Shawn Raymundo, AZCentral.com, 28 Dec. 2025
By following a schedule, not a mood, research suggests that people can break cycles of poor rest and inactivity and achieve greater recovery and well-being.
—Stacy Shaw, Fortune, 26 Dec. 2025
That was the longest stretch of inactivity since the show began.
—Kansas City Star, 26 Dec. 2025
According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, companies can charge fees for inactivity or dormancy, but only if the card has gone unused for a year and the policy clearly states that charges could be incurred.
—Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 25 Dec. 2025
David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
How periods of inactivity affect cognitive performance For most of us, everyday life is characterized by a lack of movement.
—Desireé Oostland, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2026
Your credit card accounts may be closed by the issuer after a certain period of inactivity, which could hurt your credit by reducing your total available credit.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
The long stretch of inactivity came during a period of national interest in YOSAR.
—Gavin Feek, Outside, 31 Dec. 2025
While city centers across metro Phoenix have been evolving, downtown Glendale has suffered from stagnation and inactivity.
—Shawn Raymundo, AZCentral.com, 28 Dec. 2025
By following a schedule, not a mood, research suggests that people can break cycles of poor rest and inactivity and achieve greater recovery and well-being.
—Stacy Shaw, Fortune, 26 Dec. 2025
That was the longest stretch of inactivity since the show began.
—Kansas City Star, 26 Dec. 2025
According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, companies can charge fees for inactivity or dormancy, but only if the card has gone unused for a year and the policy clearly states that charges could be incurred.
—Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 25 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inactivity
Noun
-
Japan’s old, stodgy government is initially too caught up in bureaucratic red tape and inertia to mount a response.—
James Grebey,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Her confinement was not the result of any criminal conduct, but of bureaucratic error compounded by institutional inertia.—
Mike Hellgren,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Menees was charged with two counts each of first-degree kidnapping, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, armed criminal action and abuse or neglect of a child, as well as one count of unlawful use of a weapon and three counts of first-degree domestic assault.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Tamma, who is gay, is a roiling stew of adolescent emotions further fueled by physical abuse suffered in childhood at her father’s hands and by the neglect and disdain dumped on her by her mother.—
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Juries are often reluctant to convict law enforcement officers for inaction, as seen after the 2018 school massacre in Parkland, Fla.—
Valerie Gonzalez,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Faced with legislative inaction, local governments are stepping into the vacuum.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Jan. 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
-
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
-
This patience is watchfulness, not idleness.—
Francois Botha,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
He was charged with endangerment or abandonment of a child and has pleaded not guilty.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Adrian Gonzales, 52, was acquitted on 29 counts of child abandonment and endangerment.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inactivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inactivity. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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