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Showing results for inaction. Search instead for inactions.
Synonyms

inaction

American  
[in-ak-shuhn] / ɪnˈæk ʃən /

noun

  1. absence of action; idleness.

inaction British  
/ ɪnˈækʃən /

noun

  1. lack of action; idleness; inertia

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of inaction

First recorded in 1700–10; in- 3 + action

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.

Second, behavioral therapy outcomes should be audited with the costs of inaction in mind.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

But overcoming that fear and engaging in collective action will build momentum, and a type of muscle memory, where the new rule becomes action and not inaction.

From Salon • Mar. 3, 2026

“Local law enforcement must not be complicit through silence or inaction when federal agents overstep legal and ethical boundaries,” Duarte said.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

A Senedd health committee report into gynaecological cancer has found women have been "let down by the Welsh government's inaction".

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026

“In spite of our troubles and losing sleep the whole party was in good spirits, for, at last, we had exchanged inaction for action,” Worsley remembered.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

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.