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

For instance, in a 12-week study involving 52 sedentary, but otherwise healthy adults, Hunter-Cooper found no additional vascular benefit to attending heated yoga sessions three times per week, compared with room temperature sessions. —Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 4 Sep. 2025

That claim comes from a few different studies, including one that found that people who play tennis live almost 10 years longer than those who are sedentary. —Cathy Cassata, Health, 4 Sep. 2025

While the research on what determines a person's weight is still ongoing, one likely factor in the rise of the global obesity epidemic is the transition to a modern-day sedentary lifestyle. —Elizabeth B. Kim, The Enquirer, 2 Sep. 2025

From open offices to home workstations, employees across industries invested in sit-stand setups with the hope of counteracting sedentary lifestyles. —Michelle Stansbury, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French sedentaire, from Latin sedentarius, from sedent-, sedens, present participle of sedēre to sit — more at sit

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sedentary

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• beriberi
• breviary
• budgetary
• capillary
• catenary
• cautionary

Kids 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