inactive
adjective
- not doing anything, not engaging in activity
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ɪnˈæktɪv/
adj
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti Proto-Italic *agō Latin agō Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin -īvus ▲ Ancient Greek ἐνεργητῐκός (energētĭkós)sl. Latin āctīvus Latin ināctīvuslbor. French inactifder. English inactive From French inactif. See also earlier unactive.
- Not active, temporarily or permanently.
“The volcano is inactive, but is only dormant.”
“Inactive user accounts may be deleted after 90 days.”
- Not engaging in physical activity.
“[…] exercise in general will lead to dramatic improvements in comparison with an inactive lifestyle.”
- Not functioning or operating; broken down
“The photocopier is inactive pending repair.”
- Retired from duty or service.
“Admiral Jones is now on the inactive list.”
- Relatively inert.
“Aluminium is inactive towards water.”
- Showing no optical activity in polarized light.
“Synthetic glycine is optically inactive as it contains equal amounts of the d- and l- form.”
noun
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti Proto-Italic *agō Latin agō Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin -īvus ▲ Ancient Greek ἐνεργητῐκός (energētĭkós)sl. Latin āctīvus Latin ināctīvuslbor. French inactifder. English inactive From French inactif. See also earlier unactive.
- A person who does not take action.
“Typically inactives are poorly educated older women. Their lack of education is overwhelmingly the key factor in assigning the inactives to a life devoid of political activity of any sort.”