as in dormant
not being in a state of use, activity, or employment
he has a latent talent for acting that he hasn't had a chance to express yet
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of latent
The defense, with its framing, wanted to awaken any latent unease that a juror—an older one, perhaps—might feel toward the preceding years of correction between the sexes.
—
Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 3 July 2025
Since 2024, there also have been, in total, two latent cases in Johnson County and 77 latent cases in Wyandotte County, which sits at the Missouri border, USA TODAY reported.
—Brandi D. Addison, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Researchers call the numerical universe in which these calculations take place a latent space.
—Anil Ananthaswamy, Quanta Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025
For example, many of us are still carrying latent resistance to the bubonic plague centuries after the precipitous event.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for latent
Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 3 July 2025
Since 2024, there also have been, in total, two latent cases in Johnson County and 77 latent cases in Wyandotte County, which sits at the Missouri border, USA TODAY reported.
—Brandi D. Addison, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Researchers call the numerical universe in which these calculations take place a latent space.
—Anil Ananthaswamy, Quanta Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025
For example, many of us are still carrying latent resistance to the bubonic plague centuries after the precipitous event.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for latent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for latent
Adjective
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What should be a tender, feminist-minded story centered on a young woman rediscovering her dormant childhood dreamer turns into a middling melodrama about being with a cute guy in desperate need of her rescue.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
1 Aug. 2025
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After remission, cancer cells may remain dormant for years before spreading— notably in the lungs or other organs—and causing a relapse.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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Pete Crow-Armstrong, Justin Turner and more were in attendance, taking advantage of the Cubs having an off day after several of them put in a shift signing autographs at The National earlier in the day.—
The Athletic Collectibles Staff,
New York Times,
1 Aug. 2025
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The attacker, 27-year-old Shane Devon Tamura, entered the office tower with an assault rifle and body armor, fatally shooting a security guard, a Blackstone executive, a Rudin Management associate, and an off-duty NYPD officer before taking his own life.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
31 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Latent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/latent. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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