inanition

[ in-uh-nish-uhn ]

See synonyms for inanition on Thesaurus.com

noun

exhaustion from lack of nourishment; starvation.
lack of vigor; lethargy.

Origin of inanition

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin inānitiōn- (stem of inānitiō “emptiness”); see inane, -ition

Words Nearby inanition

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use inanition in a sentence

In a sense, just curled up like a ball, or waiting to die from inanition.
Peter Goodwin Is Dying: An Assisted-Suicide Doctor Invokes Law He Built | Casey Schwartz | March 4, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The very thought in his estimation perished from inanition and sheer inability of conception!
Islam Her Moral And Spiritual Value | Arthur Glyn Leonard
Dr. Black says, I shall not die of a dropsy, as I imagined, but of inanition and weakness.
Life and Correspondence of David Hume, Volume II (of 2) | John Hill Burton
He says I shall die of weakness and inanition, and perhaps give little or no warning.
Life and Correspondence of David Hume, Volume II (of 2) | John Hill Burton
For fuel is the life of modern naval war; it is the food of the ship; without it the modern monsters of the deep die of inanition.
The Interest of America in Sea Power, Present and Future | A. T. Mahan

The length of time that he sat there was so remarkable as to raise that interval of inanition to the rank of a feat.
A Laodicean | Thomas Hardy

British Dictionary definitions for inanition

inanition

/ (ˌɪnəˈnɪʃən) /

noun

exhaustion resulting from lack of food
mental, social, or spiritual weakness or lassitude

Origin of inanition

C14: from Late Latin inānītio emptiness, from Latin inānis empty; see inane

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

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