sedentary

[ sed-n-ter-ee ]

/ ˈsɛd nˌtɛr i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sedentary ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

characterized by or requiring a sitting posture: a sedentary occupation.

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

Chiefly Zoology.

abiding in one place; not migratory.
pertaining to animals that move about little or are permanently attached to something, as a barnacle.

Nearby words

sedate, sedation, sedative, seddon, sedecias, sedentary, seder, sederunt, sedge, sedge family, sedge fly

Origin of sedentary

1590–1600; < Latin sedentārius sitting, equivalent to sedent- (stem of sedēns, present participle of sedēre to sit¹; see -ent) + -ārius -ary

Related forms

sed·en·tar·i·ly

[sed-n-tair-uh-lee, sed-n-ter-] /ˌsɛd nˈtɛər ə li, ˈsɛd nˌtɛr-/, adjectivesed·en·tar·i·ness, nounnon·sed·en·tar·i·ly, adverbnon·sed·en·tar·i·ness, noun

non·sed·en·tar·y, adjectivepre·sed·en·tar·y, adjectiveun·sed·en·tar·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sedentary

That reserve gets smaller with sedentary lifestyles, and with age.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Risky Heart Surgery|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The doctors said it was as strong as an ox, considering he was so sedentary.
Gore Vidal’s Tragic Final Decade|Tim Teeman|November 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Americans spend twice as much time in cars as in the 1970s and average more than 26 hours per week of sedentary entertainment.
Bloomberg's Soda Ban Might Not Have Worked|Justin Green|April 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
One celebrated study found that mortality rates for swimmers were lower than for those who are sedentary, walkers, and runners.
Swimming to Health? Excerpt of Lynn Sherr’s ‘Swim: Why We Love the Water’|Lynn Sherr|April 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Masters Swimmers have lower average heart rates than sedentary controls.
Swimming to Health? Excerpt of Lynn Sherr’s ‘Swim: Why We Love the Water’|Lynn Sherr|April 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
A dearth of all sedentary resources became, when his youth passed away, his own constant reproach.
Camilla|Fanny Burney
Much sitting is to be avoided and a sedentary mode of life is to be discouraged.
A System of Practical Medicine By American Authors, Vol. II|Various
The same applies to people who lead studious and sedentary lives.
Evolution, Old & New|Samuel Butler
The dress of the stout citizen announced a sedentary man rather than a cosmopolitan.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Vol. XII. No. 31. October, 1873.|Various
It is even said that they take to novel-writing and other sedentary occupations.
Tomaso's Fortune and Other Stories|Henry Seton Merriman

British Dictionary definitions for sedentary

sedentary

/ (ˈsɛdəntərɪ, -trɪ) /

adjective

characterized by or requiring a sitting positionsedentary work

tending to sit about without taking much exercise

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

(of animals) not migratory

Derived Forms

sedentarily, adverbsedentariness, noun

Word Origin for sedentary

C16: from Latin sedentārius, from sedēre to sit

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