stagnant

adjective

stag·​nant ˈstag-nənt 

1

a(1)

: not flowing in a current or stream

stagnant water

(2)

: without inflow and outflow

a stagnant pool

b

: stale

… long disuse had made the air stagnant and foul.

—Bram Stoker

2

: not advancing or developing

a stagnant economy

stagnancy

ˈstag-nən(t)-sē 

noun

stagnantly adverb

Examples of stagnant in a Sentence

… many people who make their living in academia are reasonably well insulated from financial devastation. For most tenured faculty, the worst they are likely to experience is stagnant pay and deferred retirement. —Andrew Delbanco, The New York Review of Books, 14 May 2009

"For adults, entertainment needs to be relevant to their life." Chen points to the stagnant US comic book industry as an example of irrelevance. "I don't want to see video games become like American superhero comics," he admits. "American comics live and die based on a very niche audience. In Japan, comics are a national art form." —Sid Shuman, Gamepro, May 2009

The blue-green algae blooms can occur in both freshwater and saltwater environments, but are most commonly found in stagnant bodies of water enriched by runoff, Paerl said. Public health officials in the southeastern United States are beginning to monitor water supplies for some of the toxins. —Bridget M. Kuehn, Journal of the American Medical Association, 25 May 2005

Recent Examples on the Web

The longtime defensive backs coach, who came to Washington from Minnesota, was tabbed to overhaul a unit that was a liability in numerous games over the last two years thanks to a stagnant pass rush and leaky secondary. — Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

In my experience, one of the best ways for brands to drive meaningful commercial value is to transition from stagnant databases to active, intelligent systems. — Pratik Bhadra, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026

With Saturday’s success, Isar becomes the clear leader among a pack of several European launch startups vying to inject some competition into Europe’s stagnant launch market. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026

Traffic on East Wacker Drive remained stagnant for hours as people honked car horns, danced and cheered while waving Mexican flags in a crowd that was mostly peaceful, police said at the time. — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see stagnate

First Known Use

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Kids Definition

stagnant

adjective

stag·​nant ˈstag-nənt 

1

: not flowing in a current or stream : motionless

2

: not active or brisk

stagnant business