inactive
Americanadjective
-
not active.
an inactive volcano.
- Synonyms:
- inoperative, immobile, unmoving
- Antonyms:
- lively
-
sedentary or passive.
an inactive life.
- Antonyms:
- lively
-
sluggish; indolent.
- Antonyms:
- lively
-
Military. not on active duty.
-
Chemistry.
-
inert; unreactive.
-
noting a compound that has no effect on polarized light.
-
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
Synonym Usage
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 Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inactive
Explanation
When things or people are inactive, they're doing little or nothing. A rock, a couch potato, or a gym membership you haven’t used yet is inactive. Active has been used since the 14th century to mean "given to worldly activity." If you’re active, you’re out in the world! Therefore inactive people aren’t doing much. Maybe they’re just taking a break — if a player is inactive for a basketball game, she's sitting on the bench. In physics, an inactive object is motionless. If a club is inactive, it hasn't met for awhile. When things are inactive, there's not much going on.
Vocabulary lists containing inactive
Physical Education - Introductory
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Just Do It: Act
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Physical Education - Middle School and 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.
Unlike a traditional placebo, where participants may not know they are receiving an inactive treatment, people taking part in an open placebo know from the beginning that no active medical ingredient is involved.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
Understanding inactive black holes is important because most known black holes are dormant, including the one at the center of the Milky Way.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
Despite this, research from Sport England has found that 42% of people aged 55 and over are inactive, compared to 29% of the adult population.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Induction happens when the magnetic field of a nearby live wire causes power to jump to inactive equipment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
In recent years, the committee had been virtually inactive, but Paul envisioned a more dynamic future.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
