SEDENTARY Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

sedentary

adjective

Definition of sedentary

as in lazy

not doing or involving a lot of physical activity They led a sedentary life after retirement, spending their days in front of the television.

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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 sedentary Adult mussels are largely sedentary, capable only of limited repositioning about their points of attachment. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Aug. 2026 No one knows when a sedentary 75-year-old economist will kick the bucket or a derecho wind will blow the roof off a Roseville retirement condo, but there are actuarial records giving probabilities for either happening. — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 16 Aug. 2026 The results suggest that the context of sedentary behavior may matter as much as the amount of time spent sitting, Feter explained. — Mira Miller, Verywell Health, 9 Aug. 2026 One of the most surprising findings was that sedentary activity in another context — at work — wasn’t linked to the same brain changes. — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sedentary

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sedentary

Adjective

The resort has its own waterpark with a freeform swimming pool, baby pool, two-story slide, and lazy river.

— Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
The other irony is that many of the characters on these very shows would hate this kind of lazy legacy thinking and would balk at it.

— Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of lazy

Adjective

For me, Sliman was pouring water on a dormant seed anxious to sprout.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Various micro-organisms (bacteria, fungi, yeasts) can also lie dormant in the tissues for centuries and can recolonize and multiply due to a ready supply of organic material—particularly if the remains have been stored in suboptimal conditions.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of dormant

Adjective

No one predicted the sleepy backwater of Sassnitz would be rebranded ‘Crashnitz’ or ‘Smashnitz’ by the end of the first edition of the German Sail Grand Prix last year.

— Andrew Rice, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
During an allegedly sleepy period on the NBA schedule, the Lakers shook everyone awake with a blaring alarm.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of sleepy

Adjective

But Fosdick’s real radicalism lay in his insistence that Scripture was not static or inerrant but needed to be read in the context of an evolving culture and country.

— Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
With the completion of Ship 41's first static fires, SpaceX could be on track to launch Flight 14 sometime in early to mid-September.

— Josh Dinner, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of static

Adjective

In recent studies by AccuWeather experts, excessive rainfall can contribute to insect and fungus damage in parts of Pennsylvania, which may lead to duller colors and earlier leaf drop.

— Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
The city is flooded with dull and uninteresting structures clad in the material.

— Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of dull

Adjective

That’s because when the body experiences physical stress, including losing weight quickly, more hairs can shift into a resting phase and fall out a few months later — typically two to three months after the event, Rossi explains.

— Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 17 Feb. 2026
This is a condition where, due to stress or hormonal changes, the body puts the hair follicles into a resting phase.

— Essence, Essence, 19 Dec. 2025

Definition of resting

Adjective

These polar nanoclusters would ideally be electrically inactive but quickly respond to electrical fields and add tunability to the material’s properties when needed.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026
The product also contains benzalkonium chloride, boric acid, edetate disodium, purified water, sodium chloride and sodium citrate as inactive ingredients.

— Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of inactive

Browse Nearby Words

sedatives

sedentary

sediment

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“Sedentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sedentary. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of sedentary

adjective

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