- Main Entry:
- in·ac·tive
- Pronunciation:
-
\(ˌ)i-ˈnak-tiv\
- Function:
- adjective
- Date:
- 1664
: not active: as a (1): sedentary (2): indolent, sluggish b (1): being out of use (2): relating to or being members of the armed forces who are not performing or available for military duties (3)of a disease : quiescent c (1): chemically inert (2): optically neutral in polarized light d: biologically inert especially because of the loss of some quality (as infectivity or antigenicity)
— in·ac·tive·ly adverb
—
in·ac·tiv·i·ty \-ˌnak-ˈti-və-tē\ noun synonyms inactive,
idle,
inert,
passive,
supine mean not engaged in work or activity.
inactive applies to anyone or anything not in action or in operation or at work
<on inactive status as an astronaut> <inactive accounts>.
idle applies to persons that are not busy or occupied or to their powers or their implements
<workers were idle in the fields>.
inert as applied to things implies powerlessness to move or to affect other things; as applied to persons it suggests an inherent or habitual indisposition to activity
<inert ingredients in drugs> <an inert citizenry>.
passive implies immobility or lack of normally expected response to an external force or influence and often suggests deliberate submissiveness or self-control
<passive resistance>.
supine applies only to persons and commonly implies abjectness or indolence
<a supine willingness to play the fool>.
