Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of inactive are idle, inert, passive, and supine. While all these words mean "not engaged in work or activity," inactive applies to anyone or anything not in action or in operation or at work.

on inactive status as an astronaut
inactive accounts

When could idle be used to replace inactive?

In some situations, the words idle and inactive are roughly equivalent. However, idle applies to persons that are not busy or occupied or to their powers or their implements.

workers were idle in the fields

When can inert be used instead of inactive?

The words inert and inactive can be used in similar contexts, but 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 is it sensible to use passive instead of inactive?

The words passive and inactive 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 is supine a more appropriate choice than inactive?

The meanings of supine and inactive largely overlap; however, supine applies only to persons and commonly implies abjectness or indolence.

a supine willingness to play the fool

Example 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 inactive According to an Illinois Auditor General report, it was found that over 100 state boards in Illinois were inactive. Catrina Barker | The Center Square Contributor, The Washington Examiner, 4 Apr. 2025 The Dodgers have a $27 million Opening Day payroll for all their inactive pitchers. Jayson Stark, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025 The Georgia secretary of state's office is moving ahead with canceling the registration of about 455,000 inactive voters. Axios Atlanta, Axios, 25 Mar. 2025 Massively inactive with just one fight since December 2022. Brian Mazique, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for inactive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inactive
Adjective
  • In a video shared by A Dog's Hideaway, another golden called Butters was equally sleepy after hours of fun at day care.
    Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Alice finds herself on the sleepy Little Crescent Island, hoping to interview mysterious heiress Margaret Ives.
    Maya Layne, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Instead of coddling grass with irrigation and fertilizer to prevent it from going dormant, embrace this natural response.
    Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Apr. 2025
  • This allows the rooted cutting a full growing season to develop before becoming dormant in the winter.
    Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Nee and Dimond’s story was sweet and innocent, its L.G.B.T.Q. allegory quiescent beneath an uncontroversial message of acceptance.
    Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2025
  • China now has a large, prosperous middle class that is quiescent out of realistic caution but yearns for more freedom.
    Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs, 30 May 2019
Adjective
  • Last-minute fixes were still being made, and some Cubs players trickled into the clubhouse to put stuff in their lockers or work out on their off day.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Stewart’s on-field production left a lot to be desired last year, but his motor doesn’t have an off switch.
    Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Designed for Uncertainty – And the Next Economic Landscape Think defense stocks are dull?
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Indeed, early American industrial work was demanding, dull, and dangerous.
    Made by History, Time, 21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • In her next fight, Shevchenko faced ex-women’s strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the vacant flyweight title.
    Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025
  • And several blocks of tunnel below Chinatown, dug half a century ago for the Second Avenue subway, remain a vacant, unseen taunt.
    Justin Davidson, Curbed, 18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Spring, after all, ushers in new beginnings with nature bursting into color and life after the cold, harsh inert winter.
    Paul Laudicina, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
  • Originally supposed to fly Sierra Space Dream Chaser test flight, but payload switched to an inert mass simulator because of potential Dream Chaser delays beyond October launch date.
    Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • To paraphrase, the real tragedies in life are the ones that blindside you on an idle Tuesday.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Traders borrow to short tokens or increase leverage, long-term holders unlock liquidity without selling, businesses take loans to fund operations, and lenders earn passive yield on idle assets.
    Nina Bambysheva, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Inactive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inactive. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on inactive

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