inert (ɪnˈɜːt
)
Definitions
adjective
- having no inherent ability to move or to resist motion
- inactive, lazy, or sluggish
- having only a limited ability to react chemically; unreactive
Alternative Forms
inˈertly adverb inˈertness nounWord Origin
C17: from Latin iners unskilled, from in-C17: from Latin unskilled, from 1 + skill; see + ars skill; see artC17: from Latin unskilled, from + skill; see 1Synonyms
View thesaurus entry=
inactive,
still,
motionless,
dead,
passive,
slack,
static,
dormant,
lifeless,
leaden,
immobile,
inanimate,
unresponsive,
unmoving,
quiescent,
torpid,
unreactive,
slumberous,
=
dull,
dry,
boring,
plain,
static,
commonplace,
tedious,
dreary,
tiresome,
lifeless,
monotonous,
prosaic,
run-of-the-mill,
unimaginative,
uninteresting,
vapid,
torpid,
sluggish,
Usage examples
By the final curtain the deathly silence had returned and remained as the actors took their bow before twenty inert figures.
, Goodbye Curate (1993)Doctors are not inert vehicles that transmit therapeutic alternatives.
British Medical Journal (2002)He said in the past inert material from road improvements might have been dumped there.
Irish Times (2002)Graveney has also slammed England's inert body language and lack of hunger.
Sun, News of the World (1999)Pesticides remain largely untested and unregulated, and their unlisted inert ingredients may be just as harmful as the listed pesticide.
, WHAT YOUR DOCTOR MAY NOT TELL YOU ABOUT BREAST CANCER: How hormone balance may save your life