immobility
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of immobility
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Late Latin word immōbilitās. See im- 2, mobility
Explanation
Immobility is the state of not being able to move around. If you fall out of a tree and break your arms and legs, then you will have to put up with months of immobility while your bones heal. Immobility could mean the condition of not being able to move, like that poor mouse stuck in a glue trap whose immobility will lead to its starvation. Immobility can also just mean the state of not moving. If you are entranced by a beautiful sunset, you might stand with quiet immobility while watching the sky.
Vocabulary lists containing immobility
And Then There Were None
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Feed
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As I Lay Dying
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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.
Hinds, meanwhile, masterfully shows an affable partner’s emotional immobility.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026
But while immobility is the characteristic material feature of land, it is financially mobile, in that its value can rise and fall.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025
"If I’m being honest, I also didn’t want to admit to the depth of my disability. I had muscle spasms and immobility on my left side, and I tried to hide it," she said.
From Salon • Sep. 6, 2024
Predation is a driving force in the evolution of anti-predator strategies, and death feigning, characterized by immobility in response to threats, is a common defensive mechanism across various animal species.
From Science Daily • Oct. 2, 2023
This whole time I’d been rooted in place, terrified into absolute immobility.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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.
