1
as in sleeping
being in a state of suspended consciousness
the bears lay dormant in their den during the winter
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in vacant
not being in a state of use, activity, or employment
the engine lay dormant in the garage until we found a use for it
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Recent Examples of dormant
The best time to prune these trees is when the tree is fully dormant, in late winter or early spring, to promote fruit production and new growth that will have time to develop long before cold weather hits again.
—
Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
The seeds of bombs planted by soldiers long gone remain dormant but alive just beneath the surface and yet the land rejects them every day.
—Michael Jerome Plunkett
september 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
Seek Adventure Challenge yourselves by hiking Mount Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano in Tanzania; trekking mountain gorillas in Rwanda or Uganda; flying in a hot air balloon over the Masai Mara; or zip-lining over Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls.
—Karin Jones, Travel + Leisure, 4 Sep. 2025
The specter of atomic annihilation, once such a major part of our collective fears, has been dormant for so long, even as the danger hasn’t decreased.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dormant
Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
The seeds of bombs planted by soldiers long gone remain dormant but alive just beneath the surface and yet the land rejects them every day.
—Michael Jerome Plunkett
september 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
Seek Adventure Challenge yourselves by hiking Mount Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano in Tanzania; trekking mountain gorillas in Rwanda or Uganda; flying in a hot air balloon over the Masai Mara; or zip-lining over Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls.
—Karin Jones, Travel + Leisure, 4 Sep. 2025
The specter of atomic annihilation, once such a major part of our collective fears, has been dormant for so long, even as the danger hasn’t decreased.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dormant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dormant
Adjective
-
DeSantis appointed his former Chief of Staff James Uthmeier to the vacant attorney general post in February, giving him an incumbent-like advantage for the 2026 election even though voters did not pick him for the job.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
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Even Roosevelt, the city’s most cherished school, has been vacant since 2019 and fallen into disrepair.—
Carole Carlson,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Outside what is today a parking garage, a group of Union soldiers — unarmed and asleep in tents — were trampled by horses and murdered by Quantrill’s raiders.—
Quentin Corpuel,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
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Alessandro Michele debuted Valentino’s resort 2026 collection as an assortment of dreamscape portraits featuring models playing guitar, applying makeup or asleep in bed.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
There’s some idle speculation in the films about where the Xenomorphs sit on the evolutionary ladder, and nearly every Alien story at some point deals with the question of whether synthetic creations care about their makers.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
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The display can smartly scale down to 1Hz when idle and now comes with a new anti-reflective coating.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
During the resting phase, hair stops growing and will shed, or fall out.—
Jessica Swirble,
Verywell Health,
10 July 2025
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Green Bay could finish as high as sixth in the NFC if the resting Rams lose to the 49ers, potentially setting up a first-round matchup against the division-rival Lions.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
6 Jan. 2024
Adjective
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The property transfer and payment afforded the city funding to knock down the five-story relic — which had been unused and deteriorating for decades — but clearing the lot of its large pile of debris remained a financial and logistical hurdle.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
5 Sep. 2025
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Normally home to the cathedral's dean, the Tudor-era deanery has been unused since the last dean resigned in March 2025.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Mired in a terrible second-half slump, the center fielder went 2-for-3 with two sacrifice flies after not starting Tuesday and Wednesday and an off day Thursday.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
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The Jayhawks will attempt to learn from their mistakes during an upcoming off week.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This would not be the first NFL opening weekend to stare fans dead in the eye and lie to them.—
Mike Sando,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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For instance, Captain John Boats out of Plymouth during a whale watch last August came across a dead basking shark that was being scavenged by five to six blue sharks.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Larry Borom, Kion Smith and Daniel Brunskill will serve as the backups on the offensive line because Kendall Lamm, who was added two weeks ago, was made one of the seven inactive players.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
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Frank Crum — Gabriel Sai’vion Jones being inactive is not a surprise despite his strong training camp.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dormant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dormant. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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