static

[stat-ik]

adjective

1. pertaining to or characterized by a fixed or stationary condition.

2. showing little or no change.

   a static concept; a static relationship.

3. lacking movement, development, or vitality.

   The novel was marred by static characterizations, especially in its central figures.

4. Sociology.,  referring to a condition of social life bound by tradition.

5. Electricity.,  pertaining to or noting static electricity.

6. noting or pertaining to atmospheric electricity interfering with radar, radio, the sending and receiving of wireless messages, etc.

7. Physics.,  acting by mere weight without producing motion.

   static pressure.

8. Economics.,  pertaining to fixed relations, or different combinations of fixed quantities.

   static population.

9. Computers.,  (of data storage, processing, or programming) unaffected by the passage of time or the presence or absence of power.

   A static website contains web pages with fixed content that does not change as the user interacts with it.

noun

1. Electricity.

   1. static or atmospheric electricity.

   2. interference due to such electricity.

2. Informal.,  difficulty; trouble.

   Will your dad give you any static on using the car?

static

/ ˈstætɪk /

adjective

1. not active or moving; stationary

2. (of a weight, force, or pressure) acting but causing no movement

3. of or concerned with forces that do not produce movement Compare dynamic

4. relating to or causing stationary electric charges; electrostatic

5. of or relating to interference in the reception of radio or television transmissions

6. of or concerned with statics

7. sociol characteristic of or relating to a society that has reached a state of equilibrium so that no changes are taking place

8. computing (of a memory) not needing its contents refreshed periodically Compare dynamic

noun

1. random hissing or crackling or a speckled picture caused by the interference of electrical disturbances in the reception of radio or television transmissions

2. electric sparks or crackling produced by friction

static

1. Having no motion; being at rest.

2. Compare dynamic

3. Relating to or producing static electricity.

1. Distortion or interruption of a broadcast signal, such as crackling or noise in a receiver or specks on a television screen, often produced when background electromagnetic radiation in the atmosphere disturbs signal reception or when there are loose connections in the transmission or reception circuits.

Other Word Forms

• statically adverb
• nonstatic adjective
• unstatic adjective
• unstatical adjective
• unstatically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of static¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from New Latin staticus, from Greek statikós, equivalent to sta- (stem of histánai “to make, stand” ) + -tikos adjective suffix; stand, -tic

Word History and Origins

Origin of static¹

C16: from New Latin staticus , from Greek statikos causing to stand, from histanai to stand, put on the scales

Example Sentences

That marks a shift in five years, with football rising by 2% and netball static.

Read more on BBC

It strips away the parts of each individual’s identity that make us different and collapses our complexity into a unidimensional, static version of who we are and could be.

Read more on Salon

The budget airline pilots acknowledged the transmission, although their responses were difficult to hear due to the static sounds on the recording.

Read more on BBC

But now, it was paired with other tactics too: Isometric holds in the middle of reps, as a more static way to build muscle strength.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It transforms historically static records – think department of motor vehicles files, police reports and subpoenaed social media data like location history and private messages – into a fluid web of intelligence and surveillance.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• fixed 
• immobile 
• immovable 
• passive 
• stagnant 
• stationary