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
Currently, states can take custody of financial accounts after a set period of inactivity — often as short as three years — even if the owner is still alive and unaware their assets are at risk of being transferred.
—
Richard Ramos, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
Factors that can worsen constipation include dehydration, low-fiber breakfasts, and morning inactivity.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 16 Apr. 2026
The flosser can turn itself off after a few seconds of inactivity.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
These invasive pests come indoors in the fall looking for a cool, dry place to survive the winter in a state of inactivity called diapause.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2026
Factors such as diet, stress, and inactivity can raise cholesterol levels.
—Amy Brownstein, Verywell Health, 1 Apr. 2026
Warming temperatures from climate change will likely lead to high levels of physical inactivity in the future, which could have significant public health implications.
—Devika Rao, TheWeek, 23 Mar. 2026
Chloé Farand summed it up for the Guardian, noting the researchers’ projection of 500,000 additional annual deaths due to inactivity by 2050.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Physical inactivity rises alongside temperature.
—Fenit Nirappil, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2026
Richard Ramos, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
Factors that can worsen constipation include dehydration, low-fiber breakfasts, and morning inactivity.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 16 Apr. 2026
The flosser can turn itself off after a few seconds of inactivity.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
These invasive pests come indoors in the fall looking for a cool, dry place to survive the winter in a state of inactivity called diapause.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2026
Factors such as diet, stress, and inactivity can raise cholesterol levels.
—Amy Brownstein, Verywell Health, 1 Apr. 2026
Warming temperatures from climate change will likely lead to high levels of physical inactivity in the future, which could have significant public health implications.
—Devika Rao, TheWeek, 23 Mar. 2026
Chloé Farand summed it up for the Guardian, noting the researchers’ projection of 500,000 additional annual deaths due to inactivity by 2050.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Physical inactivity rises alongside temperature.
—Fenit Nirappil, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inactivity
Noun
-
This second season is once again poking at inertia and stasis and how romantic relationships can crumble into a series of self-destructive choices.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Manson can’t quite make up her mind about the value proposition of institutional inertia.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Inspired by the work of Spanish maestro Antoni Gaudí, Treister’s gem sadly fell into neglect in the early aughts.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Perhaps most jarringly, people harmed by government neglect or corporate abuse often backed movements aimed at shrinking the government even further.—
Nataliya Gumenyuk,
The Dial,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Convenience and inaction are often bedfellows.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
-
While Washington is known for its gridlock and inaction, this tax season, business owners are benefiting from the pro-growth provisions in the Working Families Tax Cut.—
Blanche Lincoln,
Boston Herald,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Heart muscles atrophy, or weaken from disuse, in adults who spend prolonged times in the weightlessness of space.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
-
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
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
-
After a rash of abandonments led to infant deaths in the late 1990s, Texas became the first in the nation to pass a state law legalizing abandonment.—
Kelsy Mittauer,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The legislation would also open up $100,000 in grant funding to cover the cost of operation and maintenance of a water system if that town is in the midst of applying for abandonment.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inactivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inactivity. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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