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 The study also highlights that lipid droplets – once thought to be inert fat stores – are in fact active organelles that manage how fat is stored and used in cells. New Atlas, 28 Aug. 2025 Yet there’s something strangely inert about Jay Kelly. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 28 Aug. 2025 In these tales, CO2 often seems less like a mute, inert molecule and more like an evil supervillain—a malevolent force that has been plotting for centuries to wreak havoc on our planet and ruin our lives. Lee Billings, Scientific American, 21 Aug. 2025 Originally supposed to fly Sierra Space Dream Chaser test flight, but payload switched to an inert mass simulator because of potential Dream Chaser delays beyond October launch date. Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for inert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inert
Adjective
  • An opportunity to wake a dormant gift.
    Seth Wickersham, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
  • The Macy’s building sat dormant for over a decade.
    Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • After dropping a sleepy rubber match to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, the Tigers have lost nine of their past 13 games.
    Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
  • In recent years, the government even started paying people to move to its sleepy medieval villages.
    Siobhan Reid, Robb Report, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Though his request to play in Napa was denied, his off-course involvement is already proving to be a unifying force.
    Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
  • However, he was involved in an off-field accident that forced the Royals to shift their pitching plans.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Early on, the dull chamber music of the Ferrari 296’s wide-angle V6 gas-electric hybrid powertrain was roundly criticized.
    Mark Ewing, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Rather than efficiently dicing and slicing your produce, a dull knife actually requires more force, which can cause you or someone else in your household to get hurt.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • DeSantis appointed his former Chief of Staff James Uthmeier to the vacant attorney general post in February, giving him an incumbent-like advantage for the 2026 election even though voters did not pick him for the job.
    Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Even Roosevelt, the city’s most cherished school, has been vacant since 2019 and fallen into disrepair.
    Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Larry Borom, Kion Smith and Daniel Brunskill will serve as the backups on the offensive line because Kendall Lamm, who was added two weeks ago, was made one of the seven inactive players.
    Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Frank Crum — Gabriel Sai’vion Jones being inactive is not a surprise despite his strong training camp.
    Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • There’s some idle speculation in the films about where the Xenomorphs sit on the evolutionary ladder, and nearly every Alien story at some point deals with the question of whether synthetic creations care about their makers.
    Noel Murray, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The display can smartly scale down to 1Hz when idle and now comes with a new anti-reflective coating.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Throughout most of modern history, it was thought that prudent government debt management involved bringing down the ratio of debt to GDP during quiescent periods of growth in order to store fiscal ammunition for the next crisis.
    Kenneth S. Rogoff, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
  • Khanna is one of a number of progressive congressional Democrats encouraged by the party to appear in red-district town halls in an attempt to rebut impressions that the party is quiescent in the face of Trump’s onslaught.
    Andrew Cockburn, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

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

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