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
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Sit and Learn About Sedentary
Sedentary comes from the Latin verb 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 that refers to a person who remains a resident of the place or region of their 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
Increasing active sedentary behavior by an hour per day — while maintaining levels of passive sedentary behavior and any physical activity — was tied to an 11 percent lower risk for dementia.
—
Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 25 Mar. 2026
Most often, chairs are a tool for sedentary tasks, like working at a computer, eating dinner, or binging Netflix.
—Jenny McCoy, SELF, 23 Mar. 2026
Conversely, people leading a more sedentary lifestyle will likely need fewer hours of rest.
—Veronica Cristino, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2026
Living a Sedentary Lifestyle Being sedentary raises your risk of many conditions, including type 2 diabetes.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 9 Mar. 2026
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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Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 25 Mar. 2026
Most often, chairs are a tool for sedentary tasks, like working at a computer, eating dinner, or binging Netflix.
—Jenny McCoy, SELF, 23 Mar. 2026
Conversely, people leading a more sedentary lifestyle will likely need fewer hours of rest.
—Veronica Cristino, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2026
Living a Sedentary Lifestyle Being sedentary raises your risk of many conditions, including type 2 diabetes.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sedentary
Cite this Entry
“Sedentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sedentary. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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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