Synonyms of inertia

inertia

noun

i-ˈnər-shə 

as in laziness

an inclination not to do work or engage in activities

the inertia that grips so many of the club's members is the reason why nothing ever gets done

Synonyms & Similar Words

• laziness
• idleness
• indolence
• sloth
• shiftlessness
• loafing
• lethargy
• apathy
• sluggishness
• lassitude
• supineness
• languor
• lounging
• listlessness
• lolling
• dallying
• goldbricking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• industry
• drive
• initiative
• industriousness
• ambition
• enterprise
• hustle
• energy
• perseverance
• diligence
• go
• vigor
• vitality
• exuberance
• assiduity
• animation
• robustness
• vivacity
• liveliness
• pep
• sprightliness
• briskness
• vibrancy
• assiduousness
• vim
• lustiness
• peppiness
• jazziness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of inertia

Longbow aims to succeed, and start its own uprising against weight, bloat, and inertia. —Richard Aucock, Robb Report, 15 Jan. 2026

Also, too, that the spectacular boredom of the burbs wrought a complementary spiritual and social inertia. —Niela Orr, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2026

Her confinement was not the result of any criminal conduct, but of bureaucratic error compounded by institutional inertia. —Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026

Engagement without benchmarks can become a reward for inertia. —Ricardo Torres, Time, 8 Jan. 2026