as in passive
lacking the ability or will to act on one's own
They blamed the disaster on supine politicians who allowed large corporations to flout regulations.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of supine
Democrats have spent the past 13 months in a state of introspection, reinvention and occasionally, supine inaction.
—
Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Dec. 2025
Artisans quarried and carved most of the statues in supine position, with the majority carved from the top down, although others were extracted from the side.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 26 Nov. 2025
His liver will keep him supine, doused until it’s done with its daunting task of detoxification.
—Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
But the older woman, once supine, now sits up.
—Weike Wang, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for supine
Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Dec. 2025
Artisans quarried and carved most of the statues in supine position, with the majority carved from the top down, although others were extracted from the side.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 26 Nov. 2025
His liver will keep him supine, doused until it’s done with its daunting task of detoxification.
—Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
But the older woman, once supine, now sits up.
—Weike Wang, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for supine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for supine
Adjective
-
This is a passive strategy that works best when deployed early in the season, before wasps have established real colonies nearby.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Apr. 2026
-
According to experts, someone can be easygoing without being passive, or flexible while also staying engaged.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Congress has for the most part registered only feeble and ineffective opposition to such executive action.—
Sarah Burns,
The Conversation,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Scratches above the dead body reach upward, marks that read as feeble attempts to cling to some semblance of life.—
Anel Rakhimzhanova,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Across the state in 2025, only five people faced Class 1 or Class 2 felonies, were found permanently incompetent to proceed, and saw their cases dismissed, Turner said.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
-
If the case takes the course prescribed under the Texas criminal procedure code and if a magistrate or a state district judge finds that Rodriguez-Singh is incompetent, she will likely be ordered admitted to a maximum-security unit at a state hospital for an attempt at competency restoration.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Trump and his top aides have been inconsistent in their messaging on their goals for the war, vacillating between calls for regime change and far shorter ambitions, such as an Islamic Republic that remains in power under leadership more acquiescent to the United States.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Don’t ask the Constitution to tame a reckless president supported by a cravenly acquiescent Congress.—
Clive Crook,
Twin Cities,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The nagging wife, the angry daughter and the spineless detective.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
He must be impeached, but with a spineless Congress and a corrupt Supreme Court how this will happen is in grave doubt.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Supine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/supine. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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