dormant

American  

[dawr-muhnt] / ˈdɔr mənt /

adjective

1. lying asleep or as if asleep; inactive, as in sleep; torpid.

   The lecturer's sudden shout woke the dormant audience.

   Synonyms:

   quiescent

   Antonyms:

   active, awake

2. in a state of rest or inactivity; inoperative; in abeyance.

   The project is dormant for the time being.

   Synonyms:

   quiescent

3. Biology. in a state of minimal metabolic activity with cessation of growth, either as a reaction to adverse conditions or as part of an organism's normal annual rhythm.

4. Pathology. (of a disease) in an inactive phase but not cured; no longer exhibiting symptoms but perhaps only temporarily.

5. undisclosed; unasserted.

   dormant musical talent.

   Synonyms:

   latent

6. Geology. (of a volcano) not having erupted within the last 10,000 years, but having the probability of erupting again.

7. Botany. temporarily inactive.

   dormant buds; dormant seeds.

8. (of a pesticide) applied to a plant during a period of dormancy.

   a dormant spray.

9. Heraldry. (of an animal) represented as lying with its head on its forepaws, as if asleep.

---

dormant British  

/ ˈdɔːmənt /

adjective

1. quiet and inactive, as during sleep

2. latent or inoperative

3. (of a volcano) neither extinct nor erupting

4. biology alive but in a resting torpid condition with suspended growth and reduced metabolism

5. (usually postpositive) heraldry (of a beast) in a sleeping position

---

dormant Scientific  

/ dôr′mənt /

1. Being in an inactive state during which growth and development cease and metabolism is slowed, usually in response to an adverse environment. In winter, some plants survive as dormant seeds or bulbs, and some animals enter the dormant state of hibernation.

2. Not active but capable of renewed activity. Volcanoes that have erupted within historical times and are expected to erupt again are dormant.

---

Synonym Usage

See inactive.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondormant
  adjective
• dormancy
  noun
• semidormant
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of dormant

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English dorma(u)nt, from Anglo-French, present participle of dormir, from Latin dormīre “to sleep”; see -ant

Explanation

That old dog was dormant for so long he was confused for a furry doormat, but a doormat is likely to stay dormant, or inactive, because it is lifeless: that old dog has some life in him yet. Volcanoes are described as dormant when they stay cool for a long time, without spewing hot lava and ash. They may have the ability to come to life, but they remain dormant, or inactive. Dormant comes from French dormir, "to sleep," and it refers to living things that are on a break rather than things that have died. Being dormant is being temporarily at rest, although sometimes, as with some cancer cells, things become permanently — and thankfully — dormant.

Example Sentences

Dormant seeds have sprouted after recent rainfall and mild winter temperatures, creating a fleeting spectacle of desert color.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

Dormant since 1985, the distillery recently announced it would reopen, and build the region’s first “whisky resort,” complete with a spa, a five-star hotel and a bistro housed in a former piggery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

Dormant yeast can be made active again with warmth, water, and food.

From NewsForKids.net • May 31, 2024

Dormant through winter, the fungus reawakens in spring, consumes the corpse’s interior for nutrients, and sprouts out of caterpillar’s head into the sunshine.

From National Geographic • Jan. 4, 2024

Dormant: asleep, head resting on fore paws, No. 179.

From The Handbook to English Heraldry by Utting, R. B.

Related Words

• asleep
• comatose
• inert
• inoperative
• latent
• passive
• sidelined
• sluggish