sedentary
adjective
sed·en·tary
ˈse-dᵊn-ˌter-ē 
1
: not migratory : settled
sedentary birds
sedentary civilizations
2
a
: doing or requiring much sitting
a sedentary job
b
: not physically active
a sedentary lifestyle
3
: permanently attached
sedentary barnacles
Did you know?
Sit and Learn About Sedentary
Sedentary comes from Latin sedēre, meaning "to sit." Other descendants of sedēre include dissident, insidious, preside, reside, and subsidy. Sedēre is also the base of the rare sedens, a noun meaning "a person who remains a resident of the place or region of his or her birth."
Examples of sedentary in a Sentence
Editing the dictionary is a sedentary job.
The work is very sedentary.
Their health problems were caused by their sedentary lifestyles.
He became sedentary later on in his life.
Recent Examples on the Web
The venous insufficiency is not surprising given Trump’s age, obesity and sedentary lifestyle.
—
Judy Stone, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025
The pain caused by the injury prevents Van Orden from exercising and sleeping and has limited him to a sedentary job.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 July 2025
For me, the image quality of a full-size pair is worth the extra weight because much of my birding is sedentary, being conducted either from a hide or a safari vehicle.
—Jessica MacDonald, Travel + Leisure, 17 July 2025
Standing desks can reduce sedentary behavior and improve posture, energy, and mood.
—Sarah Jividen, Verywell Health, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sedentary
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Judy Stone, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025
The pain caused by the injury prevents Van Orden from exercising and sleeping and has limited him to a sedentary job.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 July 2025
For me, the image quality of a full-size pair is worth the extra weight because much of my birding is sedentary, being conducted either from a hide or a safari vehicle.
—Jessica MacDonald, Travel + Leisure, 17 July 2025
Standing desks can reduce sedentary behavior and improve posture, energy, and mood.
—Sarah Jividen, Verywell Health, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sedentary
Cite this Entry
“Sedentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sedentary. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sedentary
adjective
sed·en·tary
ˈsed-ᵊn-ˌter-ē
1
: not migratory : settled
sedentary birds
2
: doing or requiring much sitting
a sedentary job
Medical Definition
sedentary
adjective
sed·en·tary
ˈsed-ᵊn-ˌter-ē
: doing or requiring much sitting : characterized by a lack of physical activity
increased risk of heart disease for those with sedentary jobs
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