stagnant
[stag-nuh nt]
- 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.
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Origin of stagnant
Synonyms
See more synonyms for stagnant on Thesaurus.com4. dormant, lifeless, dead, inert, lazy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for stagnant
Contemporary Examples
Of course, declining or stagnant wage growth started well before this president took office.
Wages are stagnant and middle-class household incomes continue to decline.
Cory Gardner and others hammered on stagnant wages for the middle class.
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 ConditionsChristopher Looney
April 14, 2014
Most importantly, the biggest issue facing the country is our stubborn, stagnant unemployment.
'Crossfire' Predicts the State of the UnionJanuary 28, 2014
Historical Examples
Action will never be stagnant while there are such things as gold and power.
Alice, or The Mysteries, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
Her conversion was an event that broke the lethargy of their stagnant life.
Leila, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
Without him life would be stagnant, energy and virtue purposeless.
Mountain MeditationsL. Lind-af-Hageby
It was like opening a door out of a beautiful garden into a stagnant ditch.
The Woman Thou Gavest MeHall Caine
"It must have been the wind in the trees," he thought; but there could be no wind in the stagnant dampness of that air.
The ManxmanHall Caine
stagnant
- (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
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Word Origin
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
Word Origin and History for stagnant
adj.
1660s, from French stagnant (early 17c.), from Latin stagnantem (nominative stagnans), present participle of stagnare "to stagnate" (see stagnate).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper