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.

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

/ 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

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.

Other Word Forms

• dormancy noun
• nondormant adjective
• semidormant 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

Following the dissolution of the old Black celebrity guard in the late 1960s, the mantle of Black celebrity activism remained dormant for years as civil rights expanded throughout the nation.

Read more on Salon

Come summer, some plants are dormant, but the wildlife and, in some instances, flowers like De La Mina verbena continue to bloom.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Some economists expect prices to remain dormant for an extended period.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

This is thought to be an event that only occurs every few years, when above average rainfall soaks the desert floor, causing dormant seeds to spring to life.

Read more on BBC

It also opened the floodgates for the Phillies’ previous dormant offense.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• asleep 
• comatose 
• inert 
• inoperative 
• latent 
• passive 
• sidelined www.thesaurus.com
• sluggish