inactive

[in-ak-tiv] / ɪnˈæk tɪv /

ADJECTIVE

not engaged in action; inert, lazy

Synonyms

STRONGEST

dormant dull idle immobile inoperative jobless passive sedentary sluggish static unemployed unused

WEAK

abeyant asleep blah dead disengaged do-nothing down draggy in holding pattern indolent latent lax lethargic limp low-key mothballed motionless on hold ossified out of action out of commission out of service out of work quiescent quiet slack sleepy slothful slow somnolent stable still torpid unoccupied

Antonyms

STRONGEST

active employed energetic lively mobile moving used

WEAK

busy involved working

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Some were zombie unions: long inactive in practice but still recognized on paper as the exclusive legal representative, blocking workers from going anywhere else.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

If one is missing, the reaction does not begin, and the drug remains inactive.

From Science Daily • Apr. 2, 2026

Your Fidelity account, as a result, is treated as a separate, inactive plan.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

While he described welfare as a necessary "safety net", he vowed to get thousands of economically inactive Scots back into work.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

During these eight years my life was uniform: but not unhappy, because it was not inactive.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Vocabulary lists containing inactive

Physical Education - Introductory

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Just Do It: Act

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Physical Education - Middle School and High School

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