stagnant

American  

[stag-nuhnt] / ˈstæg nənt /

adjective

1. not flowing or running, as water, air, etc.

2. stale or foul from standing, as a pool of water.

3. characterized by lack of development, advancement, or progressive movement.

   a stagnant economy.

4. inactive, sluggish, or dull.

   Synonyms:

   lazy, inert, dead, lifeless, dormant

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stagnant British  

/ ˈstæɡnənt /

adjective

1. (of water, etc) standing still; without flow or current

2. brackish and foul from standing still

3. stale, sluggish, or dull from inaction

4. not growing or developing; static

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Other Word Forms

• stagnance noun
• stagnancy noun
• stagnantly adverb
• unstagnant adjective
• unstagnantly adverb

Etymology

Origin of stagnant

First recorded in 1660–70; from Latin stāgnant-, stem of stāgnāns “forming a pool,” present participle of stāgnāre “to form a pool of standing water, be inundated”; stagnate

Example Sentences

“There’s a lot to be said about a stagnant economy that functions, where there’s no growth, but people’s living standards remain about the same,” said Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, an economist at Virginia Tech.

From The Wall Street Journal

When you roll or glide these products across the skin, you're helping stagnant fluid move away from the face and towards the lymph nodes, where it can drain naturally.

From BBC

The duties came as the company was facing a triple whammy of cratering sales in China, stagnant demand in Europe and the costs of investing into electric cars despite patchy demand.

From Barron's

And while emissions have now been trending downwards or stagnant for almost two years, any decline is not yet substantial.

From Barron's

The good news is that the job market isn’t as stagnant as many feared, as private employers returned to hiring in January.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• dormant
• idle
• inactive
• lifeless
• listless
• sluggish
• static
• stationary