supine

Definition of supinenext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word supine different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of supine are idle, inactive, inert, and passive. While all these words mean "not engaged in work or activity," supine applies only to persons and commonly implies abjectness or indolence.

a supine willingness to play the fool

When would idle be a good substitute for supine?

The words idle and supine are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, idle applies to persons that are not busy or occupied or to their powers or their implements.

workers were idle in the fields

When might inactive be a better fit than supine?

The meanings of inactive and supine largely overlap; however, inactive applies to anyone or anything not in action or in operation or at work.

on inactive status as an astronaut
inactive accounts

Where would inert be a reasonable alternative to supine?

The words inert and supine can be used in similar contexts, but inert as applied to things implies powerlessness to move or to affect other things; as applied to persons it suggests an inherent or habitual indisposition to activity.

inert ingredients in drugs
an inert citizenry

In what contexts can passive take the place of supine?

While the synonyms passive and supine are close in meaning, passive implies immobility or lack of normally expected response to an external force or influence and often suggests deliberate submissiveness or self-control.

passive resistance

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 supine Using bolsters: Support your body by placing a bolster under your top leg in a supine twist or beneath your torso while lying down to mimic standing twists without strain. Cory Martin, Verywell Health, 30 Oct. 2025 His liver will keep him supine, doused until it’s done with its daunting task of detoxification. Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025 But the older woman, once supine, now sits up. Weike Wang, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025 After a decade of seemingly supine obeisance, there is no obvious reason why the military leadership would suddenly rouse itself to oppose Xi. Jonathan A. Czin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for supine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for supine
Adjective
  • Kelly’s John, mostly a passive receiver of wisdom and judgment, feels disturbingly like a moving photograph.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
  • The billion-ton rock canopy provides passive containment and shielding that protects the reactor from natural disasters or surface-level threats while the billion-ton rock canopy acts as an extra layer of safety.
    Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Lydia Romero strained to hear her husband’s feeble voice through the phone.
    Claudia Boyd-Barrett, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
  • That said, international filmmaking is in feeble shape, partly because of the jambalaya of international co-productions, partly because of the inroads of television aesthetics, and partly because of the cloistered aestheticism of self-conscious art-house cinema.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • He was declared incompetent to stand trial at this time and the judge accepted that recommendation Friday.
    Riley Rourke, CBS News, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Michael Skakel was convicted of killing Martha Moxley, but freed from prison after a court deemed his lawyer incompetent.
    Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • That amendment had been made a dead letter by Jim Crow state legislatures and an acquiescent Supreme Court.
    Robert D. Bland, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026
  • As the right rises, Trump puts enemies on notice The Trump administration’s attack on Venezuela extends its broader crusade to assemble a column of allied — or at least acquiescent — governments in Latin America, sailing with the political winds blowing in much of the region.
    Megan Janetsky, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • The nagging wife, the angry daughter and the spineless detective.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
  • He must be impeached, but with a spineless Congress and a corrupt Supreme Court how this will happen is in grave doubt.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Supine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/supine. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.

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