stationary

American  

[stey-shuh-ner-ee] / ˈsteɪ ʃəˌnɛr i /

adjective

1. standing still; not moving.

2. having a fixed position; not movable.

3. established in one place; not itinerant or migratory.

4. remaining in the same condition or state; not changing.

   The market price has remained stationary for a week.

5. geostationary.

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noun

plural

stationaries

1. a person or thing that is stationary.

stationary British  

/ ˈsteɪʃənərɪ /

adjective

1. not moving; standing still

2. not able to be moved

3. showing no change

   the doctors said his condition was stationary

4. tending to remain in one place

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Usage

What’s the difference between stationary and stationery? Stationary with an a is typically used as an adjective that means standing still, fixed in place, or not moving, as in a stationary bike or Face the camera and try to remain stationary. Stationery with an e is a noun that refers to paper for writing or writing materials. It most commonly refers to nice paper for writing, such as fancy notecards or special monogrammed paper for writing letters—you normally wouldn’t call just any old paper stationery.The two words mean completely different things, so the trick is remembering which spelling to use for each.Try this: think of the a in stationary as standing for anchor, which keeps it fixed in place. Think of the e in stationery as standing for envelope.Here’s an example of stationary and stationery used correctly in a sentence.Example: If you think about it, paperweights were invented to keep stationery stationary.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between stationary and stationery.

Commonly Confused

See stationery

Other Word Forms

• nonstationary adjective
• quasi-stationary adjective
• stationarily adverb
• stationariness noun
• unstationary adjective

Etymology

Origin of stationary

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word statiōnārius. See station, -ary

Example Sentences

This is a stationary event and attendees are encouraged to bring signs.

From Los Angeles Times

Joshua, along with Ghami and Ayodele, were passengers in the vehicle when it collided with a stationary truck on a major road near Lagos.

From BBC

Logistics firms expanded heavily during the pandemic as Americans spent more money ordering anything from stationary bikes to restaurant meals online.

From The Wall Street Journal

Now that they were stationary, they both started to shiver.

From Literature

He then brought her to a large stationary room.

From BBC

Related Words

• immobile
• motionless
• parked
• stagnant
• static