stagnant

[ stag-nuhnt ]

/ ˈstæg nənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stagnant ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

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

characterized by lack of development, advancement, or progressive movement: a stagnant economy.

inactive, sluggish, or dull.

Nearby words

staging area, staging post, stagira, stagirite, stagiritic, stagnant, stagnant anoxia, stagnantly, stagnate, stagnation, stagnation mastitis

Origin of stagnant

1660–70; < Latin stāgnant- (stem of stāgnāns), present participle of stāgnāre to stagnate; see -ant

SYNONYMS FOR stagnant

4 dormant, lifeless, dead, inert, lazy.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stagnant ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

stag·nan·cy, stag·nance, nounstag·nant·ly, adverbun·stag·nant, adjectiveun·stag·nant·ly, adverb

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

Examples from the Web for stagnant

Of course, declining or stagnant wage growth started well before this president took office.
Time to Bring Back the Truman Democrats|Joel Kotkin|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Wages are stagnant and middle-class household incomes continue to decline.
Voters Remind D.C. That the Economy Still Sucks|Stuart Stevens|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cory Gardner and others hammered on stagnant wages for the middle class.
How’d the GOP Win? By Running Left|Sally Kohn|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The stagnant pool of green water at the bottom of the ditch rises slightly.
Millions of Refugees from Syria’s War Are Clinging to Life In Toxic Conditions|Christopher Looney|April 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Most importantly, the biggest issue facing the country is our stubborn, stagnant unemployment.
'Crossfire' Predicts the State of the Union||January 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Better a breeze—even a somewhat excessive breeze—than stagnant air.
The Art of Letters|Robert Lynd
Suppose that the cultivator goes every morning with a jar to carry off the stagnant water where it is productive of injury.
Harmonies of Political Economy|Frdric Bastiat
A piece of stagnant water, larger than a pond and less than a lake.
The Sailor's Word-Book|William Henry Smyth
The air, kept at almost constant temperature by the blanketing effect of the hot springs, was stagnant and heavy.
A World is Born|Leigh Douglass Brackett
It is very important to remove the stagnant water in them and to let the air in.
Agriculture for Beginners|Charles William Burkett

British Dictionary definitions for stagnant

stagnant

/ (ˈstæɡnənt) /

adjective

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

brackish and foul from standing still

stale, sluggish, or dull from inaction

not growing or developing; static

Derived Forms

stagnancy or stagnance, nounstagnantly, adverb

Word Origin for stagnant

C17: from Latin stagnāns, from stagnāre to be stagnant, from stagnum a pool

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