Standard Lemma guide

static

adj · noun · 16 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈstæt.ɪk/
  • Australian, Canada, General-American: /ˈstæt.ɪk/
  • Australian, Canada, General-American: [ˈstæɾ.ɪk]
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • New-Jersey: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ætɪk
  • CMU ARPABET: S T AE1 T IH0 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Unchanging; that cannot or does not change.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stable, constant, changeless, equal, nonchanging, static, stationary, unaltering, unchanging, unvarying

Antonyms: dynamic, changeable, changeful, changeling, everchanging, fickle, fluid, inconstant, labile, mobile, moody, shiftable, up-and-down, unstable, variable, volatile, wavering

2

adj

Meaning 2

Making no progress; stalled, without movement or advancement.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stuck

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Immobile; fixed in place; having no motion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stuck, unmovable, fixed, immobile, immotile, immovable, inanimate, inert, lifeless, sessile, static, rigid, stationary, unmoveable

Antonyms: dynamic, kinetic, mobile, moving, ambulatory, animate, motile, motive, movable, vagile

4

adj

Meaning 4

Computed, created, or allocated before the program starts running, as opposed to at runtime.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, programming, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: dynamic, nonstatic

5

adj

Meaning 5

Defined for the class itself, as opposed to instances of it; thus shared between all instances and accessible even without an instance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Qualifier: object-oriented programming

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Interference on a broadcast signal caused by atmospheric disturbances; heard as crackles on radio, or seen as random specks on television.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: shash, snow
  • The World Series was on, but there was so much static that we could barely even follow the action.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: shash, snow

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

Interference or obstruction from people.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, figuratively, uncountable

Examples

  • I was getting a lot of static from the bean counters whenever I tried to proceed.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

Verbal abuse.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, slang, uncountable

Examples

  • Near-synonym: flak
  • Don't you be giving me any static over it. You know the rules.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: flak

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

Static electricity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • This stupid carpet is always giving me a shock from the static.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

A static caravan.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

A static variable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, programming, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

adjective

Meaning 12

concerned with or producing or caused by static electricity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an electrostatic generator produces high-voltage static electricity

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: electrostatic

Antonyms: none provided

13

adjective satellite

Meaning 13

showing little if any change

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a static population

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stable, unchanging

Antonyms: none provided

14

adjective satellite

Meaning 14

not in physical motion

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the inertia of an object at rest

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: inactive, motionless, still

Antonyms: none provided

15

noun

Meaning 15

angry criticism

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they will probably give you a lot of static about your editorial

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: criticism, unfavorable judgment

16

noun

Meaning 16

a crackling or hissing noise caused by electrical interference

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: atmospherics, atmospheric static

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: noise, interference, disturbance

Narrower terms: radio noise

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *steh2- Proto-Indo-European *stísteh2ti Proto-Hellenic *hístāmi Ancient Greek ἵστημι (hístēmi) Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Hellenic *-kos Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) Ancient Greek -ικός (-ikós) Ancient Greek στᾰτῐκός (stătĭkós)der. Latin staticusder. English static Modern Latin staticus, from Ancient Greek στατικός (statikós), from ἵστημι (hístēmi, “to make stand”). By surface analysis, stasis + -tic.

Across languages

Translations

90 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: неизменен (neizmenen) — unchanging
  • Catalan: estàtic — unchanging
  • Finnish: muuttumaton — unchanging
  • Finnish: vakaa — unchanging
  • Finnish: staattinen — unchanging
  • French: statique — unchanging
  • Hungarian: változatlan — unchanging
  • Hungarian: statikus — unchanging
  • Hungarian: fix — unchanging
  • Hungarian: állandó — unchanging
  • Indonesian: statis — unchanging
  • Irish: statach — unchanging
  • Italian: statico — unchanging
  • Japanese: 静的 (seiteki) — unchanging
  • Māori: pateko — unchanging
  • Portuguese: estático — unchanging
  • Romanian: static — unchanging
  • Russian: стати́чный (statíčnyj) — unchanging
  • Spanish: estático — unchanging
  • Swedish: statisk — unchanging
  • Ukrainian: стати́чний (statýčnyj) — unchanging
  • Māori: whakamārari — Making no progress, stalled
  • Bulgarian: статичен (statičen) — having no motion
  • Bulgarian: неподвижен (nepodvižen) — having no motion
  • Catalan: estàtic — having no motion
  • Esperanto: statika — having no motion
  • Finnish: paikallaan oleva — having no motion
  • Finnish: liikkumaton — having no motion
  • French: statique — having no motion
  • Hindi: गतिहीन (gatihīn) — having no motion
  • Hindi: अचल (acal) — having no motion
  • Hungarian: mozdulatlan — having no motion
  • Hungarian: statikus — having no motion
  • Hungarian: fix — having no motion
  • Indonesian: statis — having no motion
  • Irish: statach — having no motion
  • Irish: seasta — having no motion
  • Māori: whakaroau — having no motion
  • Māori: pahoho — having no motion
  • Māori: pateko — having no motion
  • Māori: whakapahoho — having no motion
  • Norwegian Bokmål: statisk — having no motion
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: statisk — having no motion
  • Portuguese: estático — having no motion
  • Russian: стати́ческий (statíčeskij) — having no motion
  • Russian: стациона́рный (stacionárnyj) — having no motion
  • Russian: неподви́жный (nepodvížnyj) — having no motion
  • Spanish: estático — having no motion
  • Swedish: statisk — having no motion
  • Ukrainian: стати́чний (statýčnyj) — having no motion
  • Ukrainian: непору́шний (neporúšnyj) — having no motion
  • Ukrainian: фіксо́ваний (fiksóvanyj) — having no motion
  • Bulgarian: статичен (statičen) — programming: computed, created or allocated before the program starts running
  • Catalan: estàtic — programming: computed, created or allocated before the program starts running
  • Czech: statický — programming: computed, created or allocated before the program starts running
  • Finnish: staattinen — programming: computed, created or allocated before the program starts running
  • French: statique — programming: computed, created or allocated before the program starts running
  • Hungarian: statikus — programming: computed, created or allocated before the program starts running
  • Icelandic: kyrrlegur — programming: computed, created or allocated before the program starts running
  • Icelandic: kyrr- — programming: computed, created or allocated before the program starts running
  • Kazakh: статикалық (statikalyq) — programming: computed, created or allocated before the program starts running
  • Portuguese: estático — programming: computed, created or allocated before the program starts running
  • Russian: стати́ческий (statíčeskij) — programming: computed, created or allocated before the program starts running
  • Spanish: estática — programming: computed, created or allocated before the program starts running
  • Ukrainian: стати́чний (statýčnyj) — programming: computed, created or allocated before the program starts running
  • Finnish: staattinen — object-oriented programming: defined for the class itself
  • Bulgarian: смущение (smuštenie) — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Danish: støj — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Esperanto: intermikso — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Esperanto: perturbo — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Finnish: kohina — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • French: parasites — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • French: friture — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • German: Schnee — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Greek: χιόνια (chiónia) — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Hungarian: statikus zörej — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Icelandic: urg — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Japanese: 砂嵐 (suna arashi) — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Japanese: スノーノイズ (sunō noizu) — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Māori: hihītanga — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Polish: śnieg — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Polish: szum — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Portuguese: estática — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Portuguese: chiado — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Russian: поме́хи (poméxi) — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Spanish: estática — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Spanish: nieve — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Swedish: brus — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Swedish: myrornas krig — Interference on a broadcast signal
  • Swedish: myrkrig — Interference on a broadcast signal
Real reading context

static in complete knowledge articles