stagnation
noun
stag·na·tion
stag-ˈnā-shən 
: a stagnant state or condition : a state or condition marked by lack of flow, movement, or development
In short, the increasing contamination and stagnation of the segment of river had become a matter of concern.—
Ryan Holifield and Nick Schuelke
Ryan Holifield and Nick SchuelkeIn 1664, when plague had struck Amsterdam again, with the usual stagnation of trade that followed its worst attacks, the sight of a shooting star was taken as axiomatic confirmation of divine displeasure.—Simon Schama
Simon SchamaExamples of stagnation in a Sentence
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Harvard economists Lawrence Katz and Claudia Goldin found in September 2025 that the college wage premium remains, but has barely moved since 2000, while the San Francisco Fed attributed that stagnation primarily to less demand for those workers, in a working paper shortly afterward.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2026
The home here is a ramshackle London town house where a famed painter, Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen), is spending his final years in a haze of creative stagnation and lingering renown.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
Lewis portrays Curator as a frustrated employee pushing against institutional norms and stagnation, balancing exasperation and displaying a knack for physical comedy.
—Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
Nowadays there is less merriment, sunk as Moscow is in a combination of Putin stagnation, the Ukraine war, and the techno-feudalism that is making serfs of all of us in a world owned by billionaires pumping propaganda through the black boxes in the palm of our hands.
—Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
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Jake Angelo, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2026
The home here is a ramshackle London town house where a famed painter, Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen), is spending his final years in a haze of creative stagnation and lingering renown.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
Lewis portrays Curator as a frustrated employee pushing against institutional norms and stagnation, balancing exasperation and displaying a knack for physical comedy.
—Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
Nowadays there is less merriment, sunk as Moscow is in a combination of Putin stagnation, the Ukraine war, and the techno-feudalism that is making serfs of all of us in a world owned by billionaires pumping propaganda through the black boxes in the palm of our hands.
—Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stagnation
Cite this Entry
“Stagnation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stagnation. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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