dormant

[ dawr-muhnt ]

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. Compare latent ( def 2 ).
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. Compare active ( def 10 ), extinct ( def 5 ).
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

/ 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

/ 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.

Derived Forms

• ˈdormancy, noun

Other Words From

• non·dor·mant adjective
• sem·i·dor·mant adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dormant¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dormant¹

C14: from Old French dormant, from dormir to sleep, from Latin dormīre

Synonym Study

See inactive.

Example Sentences

Immune cells that remained in the bloodstream stayed dormant.

From Science Daily

It's lain dormant in the intervening two years, much of which were characterised by domination by Verstappen and his Red Bull team.

From BBC

Their dispute also revives the dispute between their two teams, which has lain largely dormant since the bitter title battle between Verstappen and Hamilton in 2021.

From BBC

Reports are mixed and at times contradictory, perhaps in part because with all the wars going on in the Middle East, the Syrian civil war—which has been relatively dormant in the past few years—has escaped the attention of many journalists and analysts in the region.

From Slate

Waesche, meanwhile, though dormant and possibly extinct, may offer an answer to the most pressing question in Antarctic volcanology: With ice melting ever more quickly, will the volcanoes grow more active?

From Science Magazine

Related Words

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