quiescent

adjective

qui·​es·​cent kwī-ˈe-sᵊnt 

kwē-

1

: marked by inactivity or repose : tranquilly at rest

2

: causing no trouble or symptoms

quiescent gallstones

quiescently adverb

Did you know?

Hush your puppies and calm your kitties, it’s time to make much (tranquil) ado about quiescent. As you might expect from both its meaning and the sequence of its first four letters, quiescent shares roots with the far more common, and less formal, word quiet. In fact, short is the list of English words beginning "q-u-i-e" that have no kinship with quiet and its various relations suggestive of restfulness and calm. (Our unabridged dictionary lists only two: quiebracha and quiebrahacha, both rare variants of quebracho.) Today’s adjective quiescent traces back to the Latin verb quiēscere, meaning "to become quiet" or "to rest," and was possibly first used by Francis Bacon, who wrote in 1605 that "… as Aristotle endeavoureth to prove, that in all motion there is some point quiescent…" Way to bring it home, Bacon.

Synonyms

• dull
• inactive
• inert
• lethargic
• sleepy
• sluggish
• torpid

Choose the Right Synonym for quiescent

latent, dormant, quiescent, potential mean not now showing signs of activity or existence.

latent applies to a power or quality that has not yet come forth but may emerge and develop.

a latent desire for success

dormant suggests the inactivity of something (such as a feeling or power) as though sleeping.

their passion had lain dormant

quiescent suggests a usually temporary cessation of activity.

the disease was quiescent

potential applies to what does not yet have existence or effect but is likely soon to have.

a potential disaster

Examples of quiescent in a Sentence

a group of quiescent loungers recovering from the Thanksgiving feast

Recent Examples on the Web

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

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

Those huge currents disturb Earth's normally quiescent magnetic field, which in turn induces surges of current in electrical, telecommunications, and other networks across entire continents. —IEEE Spectrum, 24 Jan. 2012

Prussians’ true sentiments might’ve been more clearly displayed by the lack of a popular groundswell of opposition to Bismarck and the king’s extralegal actions; the people remained quiescent and continued to pay their taxes without complaint. —Christine Adams / Made By History, TIME, 13 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin quiēscent-, quiēscens, present participle of quiēscere "to repose, fall asleep, rest, be quiet," inchoative derivative of a base quiē-, going back to Indo-European *k^wi̯eh₁- "have a rest" — more at quiet entry 1

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for quiescent

• depressant
• fluorescent
• incessant
• putrescent
• senescent
• suppressant
• acquiescent
• adolescent
• arborescent
• coalescent
• convalescent
• deliquescent

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Kids Definition

quiescent

adjective

qui·​es·​cent kwī-ˈes-ᵊnt 

kwē-

: marked by a lack of action or movement

quiescence

-ᵊn(t)s

noun

quiescently adverb

Medical Definition

quiescent

adjective

qui·​es·​cent -ᵊnt 

1

: being in a state of arrest

quiescent tuberculosis

2

: causing no symptoms

quiescent gallstones