This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
inactive
[ in-ak-tiv ]
/ ÉȘnËĂŠk tÉȘv /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adjective
not active: an inactive volcano.
sedentary or passive: an inactive life.
sluggish; indolent.
Military. not on active duty.
Chemistry.
- inert; unreactive.
- noting a compound that has no effect on polarized light.
OTHER WORDS FOR inactive
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
synonym study for inactive
1, 2. Inactive, dormant, inert, sluggish, torpid suggest lack of activity. Inactive indicates absence of action, indisposition to activity, or cessation of activity: an inactive compound, life, file of papers. Dormant suggests the quiescence or inactivity of that which sleeps but may be roused to action: a dormant volcano. Inert suggests the condition of dead matter, with no inherent power of motion or action; it may also mean unable to move, or heavy and hard to move: an inert mass; inert from hunger. Sluggish expresses slowness of natural activity or of that which does not move readily or vigorously: a sluggish stream, brain. Torpid suggests a state of suspended physical powers, a condition particularly of animals that hibernate: Snakes are torpid in cold weather.
OTHER WORDS FROM inactive
in·ac·tive·ly, adverbin·ac·tiv·i·ty, in·ac·tive·ness, nounWords nearby inactive
inaccuracy, inaccurate, in a cold sweat, inaction, inactivate, inactive, in addition, inadequacy, inadequate, in a dither, inadmissible
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use inactive in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for inactive
inactive
/ (ÉȘnËĂŠktÉȘv) /
adjective
idle or inert; not active
sluggish, passive, or indolent
military of or relating to persons or equipment not in active service
chem (of a substance) having little or no reactivity
(of an element, isotope, etc) having little or no radioactivity
Derived forms of inactive
inactively, adverbinactivity or inactiveness, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012