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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sleepy
slow to move or act
a sleepy, inert reptile that is no threat to people when left alone
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inert
On a chunk of gold, this is not an issue because there are plenty of atoms to go around, so each surface ends up almost completely inert.
—
Chris Lee,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
At other times, the music meditates on an image — there’s a tribute to Sylvia Plath, another famous McLean patient — that’s beautiful on its own but dramatically inert.
—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
5 June 2026
If wanting to ascribe feelings to the nonhuman world is an anthropocentric crime, the opposite—failure to ascribe feelings to animals, or to respond creatively to plants—seems much worse, entailing an inert, clockwork universe of mechanistic automata, in which humans are the only conscious actors.
—
Jenny Odell,
Longreads,
2 June 2026
For a while, Claude kept spitting out the same inert passages, in which Jay Gatsby or Sherlock Holmes did a whole lot of nothing and had no opinion about the very little that was happening around them.
—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for inert
Chris Lee,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
At other times, the music meditates on an image — there’s a tribute to Sylvia Plath, another famous McLean patient — that’s beautiful on its own but dramatically inert.
—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
5 June 2026
If wanting to ascribe feelings to the nonhuman world is an anthropocentric crime, the opposite—failure to ascribe feelings to animals, or to respond creatively to plants—seems much worse, entailing an inert, clockwork universe of mechanistic automata, in which humans are the only conscious actors.
—
Jenny Odell,
Longreads,
2 June 2026
For a while, Claude kept spitting out the same inert passages, in which Jay Gatsby or Sherlock Holmes did a whole lot of nothing and had no opinion about the very little that was happening around them.
—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for inert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inert
Adjective
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And inflation, which had bedeviled the United States and much of the global economy during the 1970s, was remarkably dormant during Greenspan’s chairmanship, something many economists had not thought could occur for so long a period.
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Some of the microbes may still exist in a dormant state more than 5,000 years after Ötzi's death, as his body sits at the South Tyrol Museum, the experts said.
Adjective
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Summer is a sleepy season for new cookbooks.
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On paper, New York State Comptroller is a sleepy job.
Adjective
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For a team that began the season with off days coming at a premium, a brief stretch with two open dates is a respite from the wear and tear of a long season.
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His shot diet is already optimized for the league, his frame holds up in physical matchups and his off-ball activity gives coaches a willing piece to weave into screen and handoff actions.
Adjective
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Besides toning color, this shampoo acts as a gentle clarifier, removing product buildup from the roots and hair that can make your hair appear dull and greasy.
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The practical step is small and dull, which feels about right.
Adjective
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For decades, the north campus had no resident population, remaining a collection of vacant deteriorating buildings and residential programs for physical and mental health recovery.
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Then, seven years ago, Cohen snagged a rare vacant plot for sale—modest in scale, at roughly half an acre, but blessed with pristine ocean frontage and perfect for the family escape of his imagination.
Adjective
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One inactive domestic cattle case in Zavala County.
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After remaining inactive for decades, the concept was revived by the Army for the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon demonstration in 2011, eventually forming the basis of today’s operational hypersonic programs, reports Aviation Week.
Adjective
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That’s 10 years of farming around idle pump jacks and tabulating acres damaged by fluid leaks.
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Standard charging can slow things down if trucks have to sit idle for too long.
Adjective
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Flights via the Gulf are being restored as the Iran conflict remains quiescent, but tourists are staying away from the region itself.
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Local Democratic politicians were strangely quiescent, despite a pre–Catahoula Crunch poll showing that nearly 80 percent of New Orleans residents opposed the deployment.
Cite this Entry
“Inert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inert. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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