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.

---

noun

stationaries plural

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

---

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

Explanation

Stationary means not moving. A stationary bike is the kind you find in the gym –– you pedal and pedal, but you just don’t go anywhere. Something stationary is staying right where it is, like that bike, or anything else that doesn’t budge. If your car crashes into a stationary van, it’s probably your fault because that van was parked. If your aunt is sick and in the hospital and has been that way for a while, the doctor might say her condition is stationary. Animals that don’t migrate are stationary. Troops that aren’t marching are stationary. Something stationary is still.

Example Sentences

For instance, a clock traveling at 10 m/s for 57 million years would fall behind a stationary clock by about one second.

From Science Daily • May 18, 2026

He settled in a spacious room with a stationary bike, TV and a window that had double panes and couldn’t be opened.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

The Oceanwide Expeditions cruise ship, which is now stationary near Cape Verde, an island nation off the coast of Senegal, departed Ushuaia, Argentina, in March, according to the Wall Street Journal.

From MarketWatch • May 4, 2026

He has yet to progress to live play on the court, although he recently started incorporating movement into his on-court drills instead of just stationary shooting.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2026

The stationary sun that hung overhead was nothing but a virtual light source, programmed into the imaginary sky.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Related Words

• immobile
• motionless
• parked
• stagnant
• static