dormancy
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of dormancy
Explanation
A period of inactivity, with no moving or growing, is dormancy. A bear is in a stage of dormancy when it hibernates: both its heart rate and body temperature become very low and it doesn't do much besides sleep. You can describe any state of deep sleep or profound calm and quiet as dormancy, like your weekend of dormancy after an incredibly hectic week at school. It's mainly used in a more scientific way, though, to talk about the dormancy some animals go through in the winter in order to save valuable energy or the dormancy of certain plants during a dry season. Other things that are temporarily inactive, like volcanoes, also experience dormancy.
Vocabulary lists containing dormancy
Plants (Botany) - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One potential bright spot for the private-equity industry is the IPO market, which is coming back to life after years of dormancy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
The “Cicada” nickname refers to this subvariant’s apparent dormancy before it reemerged in 2025, akin to some periodically active insects of the same name.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2026
She suggests so called "active dormancy" - mixing a slower restful lifestyle with activities that still keep us mentally engaged.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2025
Leaving ludicrous Civil War–era laws on the books in their dormancy was easier politically than going out of your way to excise them, just in case.
From Slate ● Apr. 11, 2024
We closed up the windows with shutters and laid sheets upon the furniture, the house being prepared for dormancy.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
