1
as in dormant
not being in a state of use, activity, or employment
the inert, abandoned factories that are scattered all over that dying city
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2
as in sleepy
slow to move or act
a sleepy, inert reptile that is no threat to people when left alone
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Recent Examples of inert
Boston Metal The key to the success of the recent test that led to the creation of a ton of molten metal is Boston Metal's inert anode which can drive the electrical process in the reactor without degrading.
—
Michael Franco, New Atlas, 13 Mar. 2025
Neoprene is relatively inert and resists degradation, and it is used in clothing, masks and accessories.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 7 Mar. 2025
Melena flags a hand limply at her older daughter as Nanny hoists Nessa onto the edge of the cot, where the girl lies, inert and cringing, in the lee of the tumulus that Melena has become.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 5 Mar. 2025
No such thing exists, writes restaurant critic Bill Addison, because perfection is inert and a martini is anything but.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inert
Michael Franco, New Atlas, 13 Mar. 2025
Neoprene is relatively inert and resists degradation, and it is used in clothing, masks and accessories.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 7 Mar. 2025
Melena flags a hand limply at her older daughter as Nanny hoists Nessa onto the edge of the cot, where the girl lies, inert and cringing, in the lee of the tumulus that Melena has become.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 5 Mar. 2025
No such thing exists, writes restaurant critic Bill Addison, because perfection is inert and a martini is anything but.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inert
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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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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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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The additional compounds in matcha dull this effect.—
Helen Carefoot,
Verywell Health,
11 Apr. 2025
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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
Adjective
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The 27-year-old Ennis (33-0-0-1 with 29 knockouts) won the vacant IBF interim welterweight crown in January 2023 with a unanimous decision victory over Karen Chukhadzhian.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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The now vacant patch of land is roughly a mile west of Interstate 35W, within walking distance of a post office, a gas station, a high school and miles of subdivisions.—
Jaime Moore-Carrillo,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But he’s been inactive for much of the last three years.—
Josh Katzowitz,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 2025
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While the Kenya Moore Hair Spa website is inactive, as of writing, bookings can still be done on Style Seat, a beauty services website, for multiple services, including silk presses, trims, blow outs, protein treatments, sew ins, quick weaves, take downs, scalp analyses, and wig installations.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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These men would have long periods of time being idle, and the contrast between boredom and peril is pretty extreme.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Apr. 2025
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At 45-32, the Clippers are tied with the No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves and No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies, who were both idle.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
5 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
Cite this Entry
“Inert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inert. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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