inert
Americanadjective
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having no inherent power of action, motion, or resistance (active ).
inert matter.
- Synonyms:
- motionless, lifeless, unmoving, immobile
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Chemistry. having little or no ability to react, as nitrogen that occurs uncombined in the atmosphere.
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Pharmacology. having no pharmacological action, as the excipient of a pill.
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inactive or sluggish by habit or nature.
adjective
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having no inherent ability to move or to resist motion
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inactive, lazy, or sluggish
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having only a limited ability to react chemically; unreactive
Related Words
See inactive.
Other Word Forms
- inertly adverb
- inertness noun
- noninert adjective
- noninertly adverb
- noninertness noun
- uninert adjective
- uninertly adverb
Etymology
Origin of inert
First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin inert- (stem of iners ) “unskillful,” equivalent to in- in- 3 + -ert-, combining form of art- (stem of ars ) “skill”; art 1
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.
At first glance, the moon appears lifeless and inert.
From Science Daily
A full generation of White House advisers decided that image was static and inert, that a president looks more dynamic if he’s standing, with long halls or mantles behind him.
It’s a salad that can sit in the fridge for days without losing its snap, yet it’s never inert: a forkful zings, a little sweet, a little tart, a little green, a little peppery.
From Salon
Frank was esteemed, but above all he fulfilled the goal he had set for himself, and like the unknown sculptor of the Charioteer, his work emanated emotion through the inert materials of his craft.
From Los Angeles Times
Seeing the large, inert, black-feathered creature was a “shock,” Mr. Nicolson writes.
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.
