1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

inertness

noun

Definition of inertnessnext
as in inertia
lack of action or activity the noticeable inertness of the campus on weekends, when most of the students go home

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 inertness So a material known for its inertness suddenly shows its true colors and starts to react and act as a catalyst. — Chris Lee, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inertness
  1. inertia
  2. inaction
Noun
  • Those struggling with sleep inertia could benefit from multiple alarms or hitting snooze.
    — Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The abundance critique is that there are abundant opportunities to grow being held back by excessive regulation, planning and conditions of the sort mentioned above, which can create inertia in the system.
    — Mariana Mazzucato, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of inertia
Noun
  • Increasingly, this blame-shifting tack looks more like a simple excuse for inaction.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026
  • But having a bit of breathing space is no excuse for inaction.
    — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of inaction

Browse Nearby Words

inertia
inertness
inescapable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inertness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inertness. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of facsimile

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All