1
as in sleepy
slow to move or act
it's easiest to catch snakes early in the morning, while they're still cold and inactive
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dormant
not being in a state of use, activity, or employment
an inactive oil well
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of inactive
The Georgia secretary of state's office is moving ahead with canceling the registration of about 455,000 inactive voters.
—
Axios Atlanta, Axios, 25 Mar. 2025
Massively inactive with just one fight since December 2022.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
The people who took fiber supplements were more likely to lose weight than those in the control group—who took the placebo (inactive treatment).
—Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 20 Mar. 2025
After winning 93 games and a second consecutive NL Central Division crown in 2024, the Brewers were largely inactive during the offseason and took the field on Opening Day with a payroll of approximately $96 million that ranked 24th out of 30 MLB teams.
—Andrew Wagner, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inactive
Axios Atlanta, Axios, 25 Mar. 2025
Massively inactive with just one fight since December 2022.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
The people who took fiber supplements were more likely to lose weight than those in the control group—who took the placebo (inactive treatment).
—Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 20 Mar. 2025
After winning 93 games and a second consecutive NL Central Division crown in 2024, the Brewers were largely inactive during the offseason and took the field on Opening Day with a payroll of approximately $96 million that ranked 24th out of 30 MLB teams.
—Andrew Wagner, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inactive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inactive
Adjective
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Submissions already include some stunning wildlife photography, including a sleepy lion cub on a dirt road, a mountain goat standing in a field of wildflowers, and a rhinoceros strolling in India.—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
10 Apr. 2025
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Turning off bright bedroom-ceiling lights and flicking on table or floor lamps can help your brain ease into sleepy mode each evening.—
Glamour,
Glamour,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Instead of coddling grass with irrigation and fertilizer to prevent it from going dormant, embrace this natural response.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 Apr. 2025
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This allows the rooted cutting a full growing season to develop before becoming dormant in the winter.—
Quincy Bulin,
Southern Living,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Nee and Dimond’s story was sweet and innocent, its L.G.B.T.Q. allegory quiescent beneath an uncontroversial message of acceptance.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2025
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China now has a large, prosperous middle class that is quiescent out of realistic caution but yearns for more freedom.—
Andrew J. Nathan,
Foreign Affairs,
30 May 2019
Adjective
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Last-minute fixes were still being made, and some Cubs players trickled into the clubhouse to put stuff in their lockers or work out on their off day.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2025
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Stewart’s on-field production left a lot to be desired last year, but his motor doesn’t have an off switch.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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For the rest of us, a real musical comedy is a cause for celebration; most are either too tuneless to be musicals or too dull to be comedies.—
Jesse Green,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
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The additional compounds in matcha dull this effect.—
Helen Carefoot,
Verywell Health,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In her next fight, Shevchenko faced ex-women’s strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the vacant flyweight title.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
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And several blocks of tunnel below Chinatown, dug half a century ago for the Second Avenue subway, remain a vacant, unseen taunt.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Spring, after all, ushers in new beginnings with nature bursting into color and life after the cold, harsh inert winter.—
Paul Laudicina,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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Originally supposed to fly Sierra Space Dream Chaser test flight, but payload switched to an inert mass simulator because of potential Dream Chaser delays beyond October launch date.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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To paraphrase, the real tragedies in life are the ones that blindside you on an idle Tuesday.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
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Traders borrow to short tokens or increase leverage, long-term holders unlock liquidity without selling, businesses take loans to fund operations, and lenders earn passive yield on idle assets.—
Nina Bambysheva,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inactive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inactive. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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