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
Conversely, those who led sedentary lifestyles and those who had few mentally stimulating interests to occupy their time were more likely to develop dementia by age 80.
—
Neil C. Bhavsar, ABC News, 3 Dec. 2024
Long car commutes decrease time and motivation for daily physical activity, contributing to a sedentary lifestyle.
—Esther Walker, The Mercury News, 29 Nov. 2024
And sedentary lifestyles are the norm in the Western world, most of us are sitting for about 80% of the day.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 28 Nov. 2024
In fact, a Danish survey of 8,700 people over 25 years found that tennis adds 9.7 years to life expectancy compared to a sedentary lifestyle.
—Wes Moss, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sedentary 
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Neil C. Bhavsar, ABC News, 3 Dec. 2024
Long car commutes decrease time and motivation for daily physical activity, contributing to a sedentary lifestyle.
—Esther Walker, The Mercury News, 29 Nov. 2024
And sedentary lifestyles are the norm in the Western world, most of us are sitting for about 80% of the day.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 28 Nov. 2024
In fact, a Danish survey of 8,700 people over 25 years found that tennis adds 9.7 years to life expectancy compared to a sedentary lifestyle.
—Wes Moss, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sedentary
Dictionary Entries Near sedentary
Cite this Entry
“Sedentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sedentary. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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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