INERT Synonyms: 102 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'inert' different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of inert are idle , inactive , passive , and supine . While all these words mean "not engaged in work or activity," inert as applied to things implies powerlessness to move or to affect other things; as applied to persons it suggests an inherent or habitual indisposition to activity. // inert ingredients in drugs // an inert citizenry

Q: When would 'idle' be a good substitute for 'inert'?

The words idle and inert can be used in similar contexts, but idle applies to persons that are not busy or occupied or to their powers or their implements. // workers were idle in the fields

Q: In what contexts can 'inactive' take the place of 'inert'?

While in some cases nearly identical to inert , inactive applies to anyone or anything not in action or in operation or at work. // on inactive status as an astronaut // inactive accounts

Q: When can 'passive' be used instead of 'inert'?

The words passive and inert are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, passive implies immobility or lack of normally expected response to an external force or influence and often suggests deliberate submissiveness or self-control. // passive resistance

Q: When could 'supine' be used to replace 'inert'?

While the synonyms supine and inert are close in meaning, supine applies only to persons and commonly implies abjectness or indolence. // a supine willingness to play the fool

inert

adjective

i-ˈnərt

Definition of inert next

as in dormant

not being in a state of use, activity, or employment the inert, abandoned factories that are scattered all over that dying city

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in sleepy

slow to move or act a sleepy, inert reptile that is no threat to people when left alone

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word inert different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of inert are idle, inactive, passive, and supine. While all these words mean "not engaged in work or activity," inert as applied to things implies powerlessness to move or to affect other things; as applied to persons it suggests an inherent or habitual indisposition to activity.

inert ingredients in drugs

an inert citizenry

When would idle be a good substitute for inert?

The words idle and inert can be used in similar contexts, but idle applies to persons that are not busy or occupied or to their powers or their implements.

workers were idle in the fields

In what contexts can inactive take the place of inert?

While in some cases nearly identical to inert, inactive applies to anyone or anything not in action or in operation or at work.

on inactive status as an astronaut

inactive accounts

When can passive be used instead of inert?

The words passive and inert are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, passive implies immobility or lack of normally expected response to an external force or influence and often suggests deliberate submissiveness or self-control.

passive resistance

When could supine be used to replace inert?

While the synonyms supine and inert are close in meaning, supine applies only to persons and commonly implies abjectness or indolence.

a supine willingness to play the fool

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of inert Pure gold is inert in Earth's mantle and tends to stay there. —

David Bressan, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024 Hardware that physically sits somewhere on this Earth, hidden away and inert and seemingly lifeless, like the servers in a data center on the outskirts of Dublin that store Ireland’s memories. —

Longreads, 18 Dec. 2024 Experimenters hunting for hypothesized dark matter particles known as WIMPs — heavy, inert particles that were long considered the top candidate for the nonreflective stuff floating in and around galaxies — hit a limit. —

Natalie Wolchover, Quanta Magazine, 17 Dec. 2024 In highly resource scarce communities, such as the desert tribes of the Sahara, the mineral commodity of choice was not an inert metal like gold but a compound formed by one of the most reactive metals in the periodic table – sodium. —

Saleem H. Ali, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for inert

Recent Examples of Synonyms for inert

Adjective

Many plants go dormant, with their tops dying back and all their energy stored safely below ground.

Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 4 Jan. 2025
The five-square-mile island is almost entirely a hilly volcano (dormant, don’t worry) and with very little flat land to host an airport.

Johanna Read, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024