stagnation

American  

[stag-ney-shuhn] / stægˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the state or condition of stagnating, or having stopped, as by ceasing to run or flow.

   Meteorologists forecast ozone and air stagnation.

2. a foulness or staleness, as one emanating from a standing pool of water.

3. a failure to develop, progress, or advance.

   periods of economic stagnation followed by bursts of growth.

4. the state or quality of being or feeling sluggish and dull.

   Happily, they have been able to avoid stagnation in their ten-year marriage.

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Etymology

Origin of stagnation

stagn(ate) + -ation

Explanation

Stagnation is the state of being still, or not moving, like a sitting puddle of water where stagnation attracts mosquitoes. The root of stagnation is the Latin word for "standing water," stagnatum. The stagnation of water can be a serious problem in parts of the world where mosquitoes spread diseases like malaria, or where there is a shortage of drinkable water. There are also other kinds of stagnation, or inactivity — like a struggling country's economic stagnation or a writer's mental stagnation that results in writer's block.

Example Sentences

Stagnation in the economy is also underscored by a frail labor market, with unemployment remaining near five-year highs in January and expected to rise further as the energy crisis hits hiring.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Stagnation in time is actually a core problem in AJLT.

From New York Times • Jan. 5, 2022

Stagnation followed under Graeme Souness, and the Boot Room was demolished during his tenure to create space for a press room.

From Seattle Times • May 9, 2019

Stagnation has to be avoided at all costs, Pawling said.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2018

Stagnation sharpens one’s appetite for gaiety, and one must go through a course of overwork before one can taste the full sweetness of an idle country life.”

From Mr. Marx's Secret by Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips)

Related Words

• sluggishness