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
Related Words
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
- inactively adverb
- inactiveness noun
- inactivity noun
Etymology
Origin of inactive
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.
While he described welfare as a necessary "safety net", he vowed to get thousands of economically inactive Scots back into work.
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026
In a separate post after the markets closed, Trump said the U.S. had destroyed 10 inactive mine-laying boats, “with more to follow.”
From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026
While the case is inactive, the person can remain in the U.S., work legally and pursue other avenues of relief.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026
Because the ice shell on Mimas is not expected to fracture as it thins, it is possible for the moon to have an ocean while still looking inactive at the surface.
From Science Daily • Mar. 2, 2026
Executive Committee believed that the Indian Congress had become inactive of late.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
