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

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 inert In the wrong hands, such a story would become inert on-screen. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 12 June 2025 The equipment consists of canisters containing Novec 1230, an inert liquid, which, in the event of a fire, would flood the projectors, suppressing the flames, while shutters would also automatically drop down to isolate the booth from the auditorium. Benny Har-Even, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025 An active comparator might also be used rather than an inert placebo because of ethics. Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 5 June 2025 The Trump administration has also said new Covid vaccines must undergo clinical trials with an inert placebo — meaning some participants would receive the new vaccine while others would receive an inactive substance like saline, to compare results. Aria Bendix, NBC news, 1 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for inert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inert
Adjective
  • After lying dormant for years, the match was revived in NXT by Triple H, becoming a popular annual event for the brand.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
  • In fact, the trade market was surprisingly dormant league-wide after widespread anticipation that a hectic two nights were in store.
    Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 26 June 2025
Adjective
  • In the comments, Susie offered some extra context about the sleepy passenger in the bed, clarifying to another user that the cocker spaniel refusing to budge is actually the mother of the second spaniel walking alongside them.
    Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
  • Even its flavor conjures a deep sleepy forest with woody, spicy and herbaceous notes, and finishes pleasantly bitter.
    Mackensy Lunsford, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Adjective
  • No team could use an off day than the New York Mets.
    John Perrotto, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
  • Entering play Thursday, an off day for the Yankees, the reigning American League MVP had the highest average (.361), OPS (1.180), fWAR (6.1) and wRC+ (221) in baseball.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 26 June 2025
Adjective
  • Generally, names as a kind of artist name are quite dull nowadays anyway.
    Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 July 2025
  • Sometimes, an artist who is too long viewed as an outsider to Music City's style and sound will see the shine of the bright lights grow dull on their art.
    Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Adjective
  • With one seat vacant, there are 10 people on the Tarrant GOP Executive Committee, according to the Tarrant GOP website.
    Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2025
  • That includes taking over a vacant adjacent strip center, adding thousands of square feet of retail space, more than 600 residential units and a central, green space to be called The Square.
    David Moin, Footwear News, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • But phone data indicates her device was inactive starting around 9:23 p.m. that night, Young said.
    Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 8 July 2025
  • Aim for the hole and spray into the nest during the evening when the wasps are inactive and aren’t out foraging.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 July 2025
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, the rapid rise in prominence of a US military base in western Saudi Arabia that for years sat idle suggests conflict with Iran had been anticipated, The New York Times reported.
    Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 30 June 2025
  • Meanwhile, Warwick’s engineering workshop had a CNC machine sitting idle.
    Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 26 June 2025
Adjective
  • But just because a stock has been quiescent for a while is no reason to disdain it.
    John Dorfman, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
  • In the early 2000s, the U.S. invasion of Iraq united Iraqi Kurds in a quest to preserve their autonomy, and the rivalry in greater Kurdistan eclipsed the quiescent Kurdish rivalry within Iraq.
    Behnam Ben Taleblu, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2017

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Cite this Entry

“Inert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inert. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.

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