stagnant

[stag-nuhnt]

adjective

1. not flowing or running, as water, air, etc.

2. stale or foul from standing, as a pool of water.

3. characterized by lack of development, advancement, or progressive movement.

   a stagnant economy.

4. inactive, sluggish, or dull.

   Synonyms: lazy, inert, dead, lifeless, dormant

stagnant

/ ˈstæɡnənt /

adjective

1. (of water, etc) standing still; without flow or current

2. brackish and foul from standing still

3. stale, sluggish, or dull from inaction

4. not growing or developing; static

Other Word Forms

• stagnantly adverb
• stagnancy noun
• stagnance noun
• unstagnant adjective
• unstagnantly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of stagnant¹

First recorded in 1660–70; from Latin stāgnant-, stem of stāgnāns “forming a pool,” present participle of stāgnāre “to form a pool of standing water, be inundated”; stagnate

Word History and Origins

Origin of stagnant¹

C17: from Latin stagnāns , from stagnāre to be stagnant, from stagnum a pool

Example Sentences

Iceland's cold climate and lack of stagnant water in which the insects can breed are key contributors to the country's former lack of mosquitoes, the World Population Review said.

Read more on BBC

“You’ve got GDP growth. Consumer spending was good, and there’s lots of investment in data centers and all that. But the labor market is much, much weaker. It’s pretty stagnant.”

Read more on MarketWatch

Homebuilders have suffered from stagnant home sales as high mortgage rates and economic uncertainty have put off buyers.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But with prices - gold is up 60% and silver 70% - shooting through the roof, jewellers are having to change tack to counter stagnant customer budgets.

Read more on BBC

There was a stagnant puddle in the hallway of the university residence that opened only two years ago, but the rainy season had not yet started in Madagascar.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• dormant 
• idle 
• inactive 
• lifeless 
• listless 
• sluggish 
• static 
• stationary