stagnant

adjective

stag·​nant ˈstag-nənt 

1

a(1)

: not flowing in a current or stream

stagnant water

(2)

: without inflow and outflow

a stagnant pool

b

: stale

long disuse had made the air stagnant and foul

—Bram Stoker

2

: not advancing or developing

a stagnant economy

stagnancy

ˈstag-nən(t)-sē 

noun

stagnantly adverb

Examples of stagnant in a Sentence

… many people who make their living in academia are reasonably well insulated from financial devastation. For most tenured faculty, the worst they are likely to experience is stagnant pay and deferred retirement. —Andrew Delbanco, The New York Review of Books, 14 May 2009

"For adults, entertainment needs to be relevant to their life." Chen points to the stagnant US comic book industry as an example of irrelevance. "I don't want to see video games become like American superhero comics," he admits. "American comics live and die based on a very niche audience. In Japan, comics are a national art form." —Sid Shuman, Gamepro, May 2009

The blue-green algae blooms can occur in both freshwater and saltwater environments, but are most commonly found in stagnant bodies of water enriched by runoff, Paerl said. Public health officials in the southeastern United States are beginning to monitor water supplies for some of the toxins. —Bridget M. Kuehn, Journal of the American Medical Association, 25 May 2005

Recent Examples on the Web

The war had been stagnant for four years, with many accepting what seemed like an Assad victory. —Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Dec. 2024

But rap dropped 19 percent from last year, and pop stayed stagnant. —Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 6 Dec. 2024

Pollution from coal fires, diesel buses and factories could not travel up to the atmosphere, instead hovering in a deadly, stagnant smog. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Dec. 2024

Indiana also created it as a new graduation requirement as a way to boost the state’s college-going rate, which has been stagnant in recent years holding at just 53% of graduates enrolling in higher education after high school. —Caroline Beck, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see stagnate

First Known Use

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Kids Definition

stagnant

adjective

stag·​nant ˈstag-nənt 

1

: not flowing in a current or stream : motionless

2

: not active or brisk

stagnant business