as in recession
a lack of activity or development and especially economic development
After years of economic stagnation, employment numbers began to rise.
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Recent Examples of stagnation
Well, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, pimples are related to internal imbalances of heat and blood stagnation.
—
Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 29 May 2026
These barriers are especially intimidating when brands are looking to expand internationally — operational missteps can often lead to growth stagnation.
—Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 28 May 2026
And the technology that could best help break this cultural stagnation is AI.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026
While there may be growing complaints about the war as economic stagnation sets in, Rosin sees little sign of unrest, given the tight control of the security services on dissent.
—Sebastian Shukla, CNN Money, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stagnation
Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 29 May 2026
These barriers are especially intimidating when brands are looking to expand internationally — operational missteps can often lead to growth stagnation.
—Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 28 May 2026
And the technology that could best help break this cultural stagnation is AI.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026
While there may be growing complaints about the war as economic stagnation sets in, Rosin sees little sign of unrest, given the tight control of the security services on dissent.
—Sebastian Shukla, CNN Money, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stagnation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stagnation
Noun
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Factor in at least one recession and one bout of inflation over the coming decade — both historically normal — and 130% is a reasonable working assumption.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
28 May 2026
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Last year, companies, nonprofits and government agencies added fewer than 10,000 jobs a month, weakest hiring outside recession years since 2002.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
The stretch isn’t concerning to Murton, who noted Aidan Miller’s early slump last year that preceded an excellent season.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
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Precious metal timepieces saw the biggest slump, contracting by around a quarter in both metrics.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
2 June 2026
Noun
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Schizophrenia, bipolar, autism, anxiety, depression – all of these topics are almost global bestsellers.—
Jon LaPook,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
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Environmental conditions appear conducive for additional development, and a tropical depression is likely to form in early June, Berg wrote.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stagnation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stagnation. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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