INACTIVITY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does inactivity mean? 

• INACTIVITY (noun)
  The noun INACTIVITY has 3 senses:

1. the state of being inactive

2. a disposition to remain inactive or inert

3. being inactive; being less active

  Familiarity information: INACTIVITY used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• INACTIVITY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The state of being inactive

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

inaction; inactiveness; inactivity

Hypernyms ("inactivity" is a kind of...):

state (the way something is with respect to its main attributes)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "inactivity"):

stasis (inactivity resulting from a static balance between opposing forces)

stagnancy; stagnation (inactivity of liquids; being stagnant; standing still; without current or circulation)

doldrums; stagnancy; stagnation (a state of inactivity (in business or art etc))

rest (a state of inaction)

holding pattern (a state of inaction with no progress and no change)

extinction (no longer active; extinguished)

dormancy; quiescence; quiescency (a state of quiet (but possibly temporary) inaction)

desuetude (a state of inactivity or disuse)

deep freeze (temporary inactivity or suspension)

calcification (an inflexible and unchanging state)

arrest; check; halt; hitch; stay; stop; stoppage (the state of inactivity following an interruption)

anergy (inactivity and lack of energy)

abeyance; suspension (temporary cessation or suspension)

Antonym:

activity (the state of being active)

Derivation:

inactive ((of e.g. volcanos) not erupting and not extinct)

inactive (not in physical motion)

inactive ((chemistry) not participating in a chemical reaction; chemically inert)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A disposition to remain inactive or inert

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

inactiveness; inactivity; inertia

Context example:

he had to overcome his inertia and get back to work

Hypernyms ("inactivity" is a kind of...):

trait (a distinguishing feature of your personal nature)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "inactivity"):

flatness; languor; lethargy; phlegm; sluggishness (inactivity; showing an unusual lack of energy)

restfulness (the attribute of being restful)

passiveness; passivity (the trait of remaining inactive; a lack of initiative)

indolence; laziness (inactivity resulting from a dislike of work)

Derivation:

inactive (lacking in energy or will)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Being inactive; being less active

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("inactivity" is a kind of...):

act; deed; human action; human activity (something that people do or cause to happen)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "inactivity"):

wait; waiting (the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something))

ease; relaxation; repose; rest (freedom from activity (work or strain or responsibility))

idleness; idling; loafing (having no employment)

delay; holdup (the act of delaying; inactivity resulting in something being put off until a later time)

pause (temporary inactivity)

Antonym:

activity (any specific behavior)

Derivation:

inactive (not engaged in full-time work)

inactive (lacking activity; lying idle or unused)

 Context examples 

The loss of muscle tissue due to inactivity or disease.

(Muscle Atrophy, NCI Thesaurus)

Time during which some action is awaited; inactivity resulting in something being put off until a later time; the state of being slower or later.

(Delay, NCI Thesaurus)

A condition characterized by inactivity, decreased responsiveness to stimuli, and a tendency to maintain an immobile posture.

(Catalepsy, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Nay, had she been without his arm, she would soon have known that she needed it, for she wanted strength for a two hours' saunter of this kind, coming, as it generally did, upon a week's previous inactivity.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

While inflammation is a natural response necessary to fight off infection, chronic inflammation – which may result from psychological stress as well as lifestyle factors such as smoking, excessive alcohol intake, physical inactivity and obesity – is harmful.

(Inflammation links heart disease and depression, University of Cambridge)

During evolution, this process has been deactivated because it wasn’t necessary for survival but we successfully managed to bypass the inactivity to achieve the reaction we wanted – splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.

(Scientists pioneer a new way to turn sunlight into fuel, University of Cambridge)