stationary

American  

[stey-shuh-ner-ee] / ˈsteɪ ʃəˌnɛr i /

adjective

1. standing still; not moving.

2. having a fixed position; not movable.

3. established in one place; not itinerant or migratory.

4. remaining in the same condition or state; not changing.

   The market price has remained stationary for a week.

5. geostationary.

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noun

plural

stationaries

1. a person or thing that is stationary.

stationary British  

/ ˈsteɪʃənərɪ /

adjective

1. not moving; standing still

2. not able to be moved

3. showing no change

   the doctors said his condition was stationary

4. tending to remain in one place

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Usage

What’s the difference between stationary and stationery? Stationary with an a is typically used as an adjective that means standing still, fixed in place, or not moving, as in a stationary bike or Face the camera and try to remain stationary. Stationery with an e is a noun that refers to paper for writing or writing materials. It most commonly refers to nice paper for writing, such as fancy notecards or special monogrammed paper for writing letters—you normally wouldn’t call just any old paper stationery.The two words mean completely different things, so the trick is remembering which spelling to use for each.Try this: think of the a in stationary as standing for anchor, which keeps it fixed in place. Think of the e in stationery as standing for envelope.Here’s an example of stationary and stationery used correctly in a sentence.Example: If you think about it, paperweights were invented to keep stationery stationary.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between stationary and stationery.

Commonly Confused

See stationery

Other Word Forms

• nonstationary adjective
• quasi-stationary adjective
• stationarily adverb
• stationariness noun
• unstationary adjective

Etymology

Origin of stationary

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word statiōnārius. See station, -ary

Example Sentences

"I was inspired by my hatred of sitting on the M62 between Manchester and Leeds in stationary traffic," Mr MacLeod said.

From BBC

Tankers headed to Venezuela changed course or became stationary following Saturday’s predawn incursion.

From The Wall Street Journal

The British boxer, 36, was a passenger in a Lexus SUV that collided with a stationary truck on a major expressway near Lagos.

From BBC

The 36-year-old was a passenger in a Lexus SUV that collided with a stationary truck on a major expressway near Lagos on Monday.

From BBC

Those robots are largely stationary and programmed to do specific tasks.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• immobile
• motionless
• parked
• stagnant
• static