stagnant

[stag-nuhnt]

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

stagnant

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of stagnant¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of stagnant¹

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

Example Sentences

Swimmers are advised to protect their noses by keeping their heads above water, using nose plugs and avoiding stirring up sediment in stagnant or untreated freshwater.

From BBC

We are having a hard time affording homes and health care and child care at a time when wages are stagnant.

From Salon

“The Soviet Union did everything they could to invest back in science and genetics and molecular biology, but it was still stagnant,” says Angela Rasmussen, a leading American virologist now working in Canada.

From Los Angeles Times

He later told The Times that the group “became stagnant, and I personally just couldn’t grow anymore.”

From Los Angeles Times

Its water usually sits stagnant, attracting swarms of gnats to the field during the more humid months of the year.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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