1
as in inertia
lack of action or activity
the inactivity outside the school led me to think that it must have been vacation week
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Recent Examples of inactivity
One of the dogs had pressure sores on all of its limbs, indicating inactivity, the detective wrote.
—
David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
How periods of inactivity affect cognitive performance For most of us, everyday life is characterized by a lack of movement.
—Desireé Oostland, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2026
Your credit card accounts may be closed by the issuer after a certain period of inactivity, which could hurt your credit by reducing your total available credit.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
The long stretch of inactivity came during a period of national interest in YOSAR.
—Gavin Feek, Outside, 31 Dec. 2025
While city centers across metro Phoenix have been evolving, downtown Glendale has suffered from stagnation and inactivity.
—Shawn Raymundo, AZCentral.com, 28 Dec. 2025
By following a schedule, not a mood, research suggests that people can break cycles of poor rest and inactivity and achieve greater recovery and well-being.
—Stacy Shaw, Fortune, 26 Dec. 2025
That was the longest stretch of inactivity since the show began.
—Kansas City Star, 26 Dec. 2025
According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, companies can charge fees for inactivity or dormancy, but only if the card has gone unused for a year and the policy clearly states that charges could be incurred.
—Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 25 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inactivity
Noun
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Funny, though, that this movie could be viewed as the flip side of Causeway, a quiet drama that’s also about a woman at a crossroads who snaps out of her inertia thanks to meeting a kindly stranger.—
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Where the first half of the 1600 conversation explored how young men are drifting toward the right through grievance, alienation and algorithmic content, this installment challenges Democrats to confront their own inertia.—
Noun
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The sites of protest include small cities such as Abadan and the Kurdish-majority Malekshahi in the southwestern Ilam province, where economic grievances, unemployment, and state neglect are stark.—
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For neighborhood residents, the properties have become symbols of disinvestment and neglect, drawing growing calls for city government to intervene.—
Noun
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America’s ratification that year broke a logjam of inaction by nations that had signed the agreement but were wary about actually ratifying it as a legal document.—
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Congress will continue pressing for accountability and fiscal discipline, because the cost of inaction falls on workers and employers alike.—
Noun
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And does a particular level of disuse have to be reached for a word to be dropped into the lexical dustbin?—
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The term fell largely into disuse with the Axis powers’ defeat in 1945.—
Noun
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This patience is watchfulness, not idleness.—
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All of which could lead to so much work that a man like Wyatt Harper might never have another day of idleness again.—
Noun
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Nora, a volatile actress struggling with crippling stage fright, is consumed by deep resentment over her father’s abandonment.—
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Its abandonment, with powder canisters spilling across the rock, suggested that its owner left in haste.—
Cite this Entry
“Inactivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inactivity. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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