quiescent
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of quiescent
First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin quiēscent- (stem of quiēscēns, present participle of quiēscere ), equivalent to qui-, base meaning “rest, quiet” + -ēsc- inchoative suffix + -ent- -ent
Explanation
The adjective quiescent means "being quiet and still," like the quiescent moments lying in a hammock on a beautiful summer Sunday. To be quiescent, pronounced "qwhy-ESS-ent," is to be quiet, resting, which is exactly what its Latin origin quiescens means: In our busy world, it is hard to find a place to be quiescent. It has a second meaning: "causing no symptoms." For example, if a disease is quiescent, you probably won't know you have it. And finally, quiescent can mean "not activated," like quiescent cleaning products that don't get the stains out.
Vocabulary lists containing quiescent
40 SAT words Beginning with "Q"
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Mellow Out: Synonyms for "Calm"
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Shhhh! Synonyms for "Quiet"
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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.
"These cells can hide from chemotherapy and then remain in this dormant quiescent state in the tumor, and then later reactivate to drive proliferation."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
“Core inflation away from the fast-moving segments that are impacted by energy have been very quiescent, and I think we are going to continue to see that,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
They then cross-matched the findings with a catalog of 2.4 million quiescent galaxies compiled over recent decades by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 17, 2024
For good reason then, establishing what causes a galaxy to move between its two states -- quiescent and star-forming -- is one of the greatest challenges in astrophysics.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 5, 2024
A heretofore quiescent problem was suddenly catapulted into the national consciousness.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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.
