stagnating

adjective

as in lifeless

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stagnating
  1. lifeless
  2. unproductive
  3. fallow
  4. dormant
  5. quiescent
  6. inert
  7. idle
  8. nonproductive
Adjective
  • Tyronne Brazille, 50, was pulled over by police in Memphis for a traffic violation on Thursday when officers found the lifeless body of his wife, Lanessa Bradford, 50, in the passenger seat of his vehicle with a gunshot wound, WREG reported.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • That’s 38 more opportunities for horrific pitching, lifeless hitting and mental blunders galore.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of lifeless
Adjective
  • Analysts have warned that the structural remedies Bonta has in mind might be deal-breakers for Paramount, making any settlement talks ultimately unproductive.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • So many people who influence public opinion in the United States do so in a damaging and unproductive way because the problem of creeping authoritarianism doesn’t affect them personally.
    — Sarah Batcha, Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of unproductive
Adjective
  • The farm system, which looked so fallow a year ago, is showing many of the same signs of revitalization as the parent club.
    — David Aldridge, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • In recent days, the property remained largely fallow, other than the thick underbrush and countless weeds that choked the site, which is about one-third of an acre in size, this news organization’s direct observation of the property shows.
    — George Avalos, Mercury News, 24 June 2026
Definition of fallow
Adjective
  • Former SpaceX engineers think a long-dormant nuclear reactor experiment is key to meeting the power needs of data centers.
    — Evan Halper, Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Hawaii, meanwhile, rightfully earns its place thanks to its dramatic terrain, with 25 active and dormant volcanoes—the most of any state in the study—as well as 543 waterfalls and Mauna Kea, one of the tallest mountain summits in the country.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of dormant
Adjective
  • Experts believe the volcano is currently in a quiescent state, but researchers monitor it around the clock.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • For galaxies with a quiescent supermassive black hole, astronomers measure how quickly the stars tightly packed near the center of the galaxy are traveling.
    — Mary Ogborn, The Conversation, 25 June 2026
Definition of quiescent
Adjective
  • The offense was inert under his direction, recording just one first down in two series.
    — Jim Reineking, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Creating life anew, breathing life into something that is inert, is fascinating to me.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of inert
Adjective
  • Ezequiel Duran drove in two runs and Texas (66-66) outhit the AL Central leaders 14-5 to move a half-game ahead of idle Houston and take sole possession of first place in the AL West for the first time since July 30.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • When the risk-free rate was near zero, idle cash created significant opportunity cost.
    — Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of idle
Adjective
  • North Dakota adopted a bill last year requiring a legislative council to study the feasibility of using nonproductive wells to generate geothermal power.
    — Maria Gallucci, Wired News, 16 May 2026
  • Returning nonproductive properties to the tax rolls, creating jobs and boosting the quality of life are only some of the benefits of redeveloping troubled properties.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
Definition of nonproductive
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.

Browse Nearby Words

stagnant
stagnating
stagnation
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Cite this Entry

“Stagnating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stagnating. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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