inactivity

noun

Definition of inactivitynext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in neglect
lack of use after weeks of inactivity, the car wouldn't start

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inactivity Many traders feel pressure to remain fully invested because inactivity can feel unproductive. — Brian Ferdinand, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 With the opponent’s next drive, plus media timeouts, or maybe Butker’s own offense stalling without a scoring opportunity, the inactivity adds up in real time. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 6 Aug. 2026 Fish that spent more of their inactive, sleep-like periods at night generally lived longer, while those that showed more inactivity during the day — the fish version of an afternoon nap — tended to have shorter lifespans. — Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026 Hypertension and diabetes share some risk factors, including physical inactivity, obesity, poor diet, alcohol intake and smoking, experts said. — Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2026 Following a slow day of transactions and inactivity on Saturday, Zoll’s group experienced sticker shock on Sunday as sellers across the league sought high paydays for their relievers. — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 Poor sleep, an unhealthy diet, inactivity, heavy drinking and smoking can all worsen the picture. — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 27 July 2026 During long periods of inactivity, blood flow still slows, large muscles remain underused, and metabolic processes become less efficient, regardless of your fitness level. — Jakob Roze, Health, 23 July 2026 Preseason inactivity is not necessarily a bad thing for a 17-year veteran who has thrown more than 9,000 passes in regular-season and playoff games and thousands more in practices. — Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inactivity
  1. inertia
  2. neglect
  3. inaction
  4. disuse
  5. idleness
  6. abandonment
Noun
  • At this moment, complete inertia, helplessness, or escape seemed to be the only ways to react, but Zionism offered a strategy for coping with the changing circumstances, a strategy that had begun with Theodor Herzl.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
  • While the world security situation transforms at breakneck speed, the shipping industry, along with the maritime regulators and economic policymakers that back the merchant marine seem stuck, trapped in age-old bureaucratic inertia.
    — Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of inertia
Noun
  • Now, the City of Oakland is suing the property owner, Mosser Living, alleging elderly and disabled tenants were left stranded in their homes and that the prolonged elevator outage was part of a much broader pattern of neglect.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Undiagnosed learning disabilities, trauma or neglect can also make ordinary frustration feel unmanageable.
    — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of neglect
Noun
  • Raman asserted that there have been only three Inside Safe operations in her district and that her committee has been stifled by inaction from the mayor.
    — Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The costs of inaction—failing to invest in the human, natural and physical infrastructure cities will need, or to strengthen the rules and institutions that govern heat—are also large and growing.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 31 July 2026
Definition of inaction
Noun
  • So long as effective communication persists, the reflex to mourn the disuse of a language can be motivated only by something else—nostalgia or, perhaps, the loss of a group’s ability to easily demarcate itself.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The Genesis Convention Center, which had fallen into disuse and disrepair, opened in 1981.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026
Definition of disuse
Noun
  • By all accounts, Katherine was a formidable presence—intellectually engaged, fluent in multiple languages, a guiding force in her children’s lives—and the painting honors that, depicting her reading rather than posing in decorative idleness.
    — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026
  • During the eighteenth century, critics warned that novels would encourage idleness, emotional instability, and moral decline by pulling readers into imaginary worlds instead of real life.
    — Michael Edmondson, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of idleness
Noun
  • The process of becoming Malay, however, also implies the abandonment of their niche and their skill in magic.
    — H.M.A. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Ramona’s retaliation in her argument with Oona was that the latter was channeling her mother’s abandonment issues into their relationship.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of abandonment

Browse Nearby Words

inactivities
inactivity
in actuality
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Cite this Entry

“Inactivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inactivity. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of inactivity for Spanish Speakers

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