sedentary

[ sed-n-ter-ee ]
See synonyms for sedentary on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. characterized by or requiring a sitting posture: a sedentary occupation.

  2. accustomed to sit or rest a great deal or to take little exercise.

  1. Chiefly Zoology.

    • abiding in one place; not migratory.

    • pertaining to animals that move about little or are permanently attached to something, as a barnacle.

Origin of sedentary

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin sedentārius “sitting,” equivalent to sedent- (stem of sedēns, present participle of sedēre “to sit1 ”; see -ent) + -ārius -ary

Other words from sedentary

  • sed·en·tar·i·ly [sed-n-tair-uh-lee, sed-n-ter-], /ˌsɛd nˈtɛər ə li, ˈsɛd nˌtɛr-/, adjective
  • sed·en·tar·i·ness, noun
  • non·sed·en·tar·i·ly, adverb
  • non·sed·en·tar·i·ness, noun
  • non·sed·en·tar·y, adjective
  • pre·sed·en·tar·y, adjective
  • un·sed·en·tar·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for sedentary

sedentary

/ (ˈsɛdəntərɪ, -trɪ) /


adjective
  1. characterized by or requiring a sitting position: sedentary work

  2. tending to sit about without taking much exercise

  1. (of animals) moving about very little, usually because of attachment to a rock or other surface

  2. (of animals) not migratory

Origin of sedentary

1
C16: from Latin sedentārius, from sedēre to sit

Derived forms of sedentary

  • sedentarily, adverb
  • sedentariness, noun

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