Standard Lemma guide

inactivity

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N AE0 K T IH1 V IH0 T IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The quality of being inactive; idleness; passiveness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

being inactive; being less active

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: activity

Broader terms: act, deed, human action, human activity

Narrower terms: pause, wait, waiting, rest, ease, repose, relaxation, idleness, idling, loafing, delay, holdup

3

noun

Meaning 3

a disposition to remain inactive or inert

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he had to overcome his inertia and get back to work

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: inactiveness, inertia

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: trait

Narrower terms: languor, lethargy, sluggishness, phlegm, flatness, restfulness, passivity, passiveness, indolence, laziness

4

noun

Meaning 4

the state of being inactive

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: inaction, inactiveness

Antonyms: activity

Broader terms: state

Narrower terms: abeyance, suspension, anergy, arrest, check, halt, hitch, stay, stop, stoppage, calcification, deep freeze, desuetude, dormancy, quiescence, quiescency, extinction, holding pattern, rest, stagnation, stagnancy, doldrums, stasis

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in-bor. Middle English in- English in- Proto-Indo-European *h2eǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *h2éǵeti Proto-Italic *agō Latin agō Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin -īvus ▲ Ancient Greek ἐνεργητῐκός (energētĭkós)sl. Latin āctīvus Proto-Indo-European *-teh2 Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh2ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Latin -tās Latin āctīvitāsder. Middle French activitébor. English activity ▲ Latin in- ▲ Latin āctīvus Latin ināctīvuslbor. French inactifder. English inactive ▲ Proto-Indo-European *-teh2ts Latin -itāsder. Old French -itebor. Middle English -ite English -ity English inactivity From in- + activity or inactive + -ity.

Across languages

Translations

41 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: անգործություն (angorcutʻyun) — quality of being inactive
  • Belarusian: бяздзе́йнасць (bjazdzjéjnascʹ) — quality of being inactive
  • Belarusian: нячы́ннасць (njačýnnascʹ) — quality of being inactive
  • Belarusian: бясчы́ннасць (bjasčýnnascʹ) — quality of being inactive
  • Bulgarian: безде́йствие (bezdéjstvie) — quality of being inactive
  • Bulgarian: неакти́вност (neaktívnost) — quality of being inactive
  • Catalan: inactivitat — quality of being inactive
  • Czech: nečinnost — quality of being inactive
  • Danish: inaktivitet — quality of being inactive
  • Dutch: inactiviteit — quality of being inactive
  • Finnish: toimimattomuus — quality of being inactive
  • Finnish: epäaktiivisuus — quality of being inactive
  • French: inactivité — quality of being inactive
  • Galician: inactividade — quality of being inactive
  • German: Untätigkeit — quality of being inactive
  • Greek: αδράνεια (adráneia) — quality of being inactive
  • Hindi: निष्क्रियता (niṣkriytā) — quality of being inactive
  • Hungarian: tétlenség — quality of being inactive
  • Irish: neamhghníomhaíocht — quality of being inactive
  • Italian: inattività — quality of being inactive
  • Kazakh: әрекетсіздік (äreketsızdık) — quality of being inactive
  • Latin: dēsidia — quality of being inactive
  • Latin: ignavia — quality of being inactive
  • Macedonian: неактивност (neaktivnost) — quality of being inactive
  • Māori: patekotanga — quality of being inactive
  • Norwegian Bokmål: inaktivitet — quality of being inactive
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: inaktivitet — quality of being inactive
  • Polish: bezczynność — quality of being inactive
  • Portuguese: inatividade — quality of being inactive
  • Romanian: inactivitate — quality of being inactive
  • Russian: безде́йствие (bezdéjstvije) — quality of being inactive
  • Slovak: nečinnosť — quality of being inactive
  • Slovak: neaktivita — quality of being inactive
  • Slovene: nedejavnost — quality of being inactive
  • Spanish: ociosidad — quality of being inactive
  • Spanish: inactividad — quality of being inactive
  • Swedish: overksamhet — quality of being inactive
  • Swedish: inaktivitet — quality of being inactive
  • Tamil: செயலின்மை (ceyaliṉmai) — quality of being inactive
  • Ukrainian: бездія́льність (bezdijálʹnistʹ) — quality of being inactive
  • Ukrainian: безчи́нність (bezčýnnistʹ) — quality of being inactive
Real reading context

inactivity in complete knowledge articles