Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for inaction. Search instead for nonactions.
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.

“It’s clear Angelenos are frustrated by decades of inaction on major issues,” Douglas Herman, a spokesperson for the Bass campaign, said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

Oliver, who attended the High Court hearing, set up her foundation after leaving Greater Manchester Police, where she was a whistleblower about the force's inaction over grooming gangs.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 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

“We have: One, a robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.”

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov

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.