Synonyms of inert

inert

adjective

i-ˈnərt 

1

as in dormant

not being in a state of use, activity, or employment

the inert, abandoned factories that are scattered all over that dying city

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dormant
• off
• vacant
• idle
• unused
• inactive
• dead
• inoperative
• latent
• at rest
• out of commission
• free
• fallow
• useless
• on the shelf
• suspended
• lifeless
• unusable
• unoccupied
• quiescent
• asleep
• comatose
• arrested
• moribund
• interrupted
• slow
• unworkable
• inoperable
• sleepy
• abeyant
• dull

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• active
• operating
• functioning
• operative
• alive
• on
• busy
• functional
• employed
• working
• operational
• living
• workable
• going
• operable
• industrious
• practical
• running
• useful
• energetic
• vigorous
• viable
• feasible
• usable
• assiduous
• sedulous
• useable

2

as in sleepy

slow to move or act

a sleepy, inert reptile that is no threat to people when left alone

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sleepy
• dull
• inactive
• quiescent
• motionless
• torpid
• lethargic
• sluggish
• lazy
• resting
• static
• inanimate
• listless
• dormant
• apathetic
• indolent
• shiftless
• slothful
• sedentary
• languorous
• still
• asleep
• drugged
• ambitionless
• dead
• slack
• dopey
• comatose
• catatonic
• drowsy
• sluggardly
• lazyish
• dopy
• somnambulant
• sluggard

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• active
• engaged
• occupied
• busy
• dynamic
• working
• kinetic
• energetic
• vigorous
• vital
• lively
• spirited
• animated
• vivacious
• bouncing
• sprightly
• industrious
• diligent
• perky
• springy
• assiduous
• hardworking
• peppy
• zippy
• sedulous

Synonym Chooser

How is the word inert different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of inert are idle, inactive, passive, and supine. While all these words mean "not engaged in work or activity," inert as applied to things implies powerlessness to move or to affect other things; as applied to persons it suggests an inherent or habitual indisposition to activity.

inert ingredients in drugs

an inert citizenry

When would idle be a good substitute for inert?

The words idle and inert can be used in similar contexts, but idle applies to persons that are not busy or occupied or to their powers or their implements.

workers were idle in the fields

In what contexts can inactive take the place of inert?

While in some cases nearly identical to inert, inactive applies to anyone or anything not in action or in operation or at work.

on inactive status as an astronaut

inactive accounts

When can passive be used instead of inert?

The words passive and inert are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, passive implies immobility or lack of normally expected response to an external force or influence and often suggests deliberate submissiveness or self-control.

passive resistance

When could supine be used to replace inert?

While the synonyms supine and inert are close in meaning, supine applies only to persons and commonly implies abjectness or indolence.

a supine willingness to play the fool

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of inert

The anguish lacing through the satire-obsessed ’90s burns like a hangover, at the same time mocking and cherishing the inert residue of hope that history might keep moving forward. —Alice Bolin june 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025

The Democrats and broader anti-war movement are inert, complete non-entities. —Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 June 2025

Save some dough by filling the bottom third of the pot with inert materials such as blocks of polystyrene foam from product packaging or packing peanuts (secured in plastic bags). —Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 June 2025

The defense argued that Gutierrez Reed could not have anticipated that a box of inert dummy rounds had been contaminated with a handful of similar-looking live bullets. —Gene Maddaus, Variety, 24 May 2025