as in recession
a lack of activity or development and especially economic development
After years of economic stagnation, employment numbers began to rise.
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Recent Examples of stagnation
Even stable population trends can be cast as stagnation to be avoided at all costs.
—
Christopher Briem, The Conversation, 12 June 2026
In their logic, to criticize a builder is to be reflexively anti-progress and to prefer stagnation over iteration.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
The stagnation is feeding into a volatile social environment, where nearly one in three is jobless.
—Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 10 June 2026
For Gleeson, South Africa missed a major opportunity to strengthen its league by failing to retain investors and wealthy clients after the 2010 World Cup and continued to operate in the same way — a trend reflected in the league’s stagnation and the scarcity of talent playing abroad.
—Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for stagnation
Christopher Briem, The Conversation, 12 June 2026
In their logic, to criticize a builder is to be reflexively anti-progress and to prefer stagnation over iteration.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
The stagnation is feeding into a volatile social environment, where nearly one in three is jobless.
—Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 10 June 2026
For Gleeson, South Africa missed a major opportunity to strengthen its league by failing to retain investors and wealthy clients after the 2010 World Cup and continued to operate in the same way — a trend reflected in the league’s stagnation and the scarcity of talent playing abroad.
—Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for stagnation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stagnation
Noun
-
How long the sustainability recession will last is unknown, but will likely take years.—
Jon McGowan,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
By 1970, the nation was in a recession.—
Jennifer Peltz,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Kyle Tucker shakes off a slump with a tying home run and a laser throw to the plate, starring on both sides as the Dodger Stadium crowd recovers from the Rays’ early surge.—
Liana Handler
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
-
The attention now being paid to the prolonged production slump and the exodus of production and white-collar executive jobs has had the effect of galvanizing Hollywood to lobby hard for a federal production tax incentive program.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
His high point will be long forgotten, disastrously undone by his successor to plunge the world into recession, if not depression.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
-
Tasks can include smelling dangerously high or low glucose levels, smelling mood swings, anxiety and depression, smelling an impending seizure and many other tasks.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stagnation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stagnation. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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