Inertness

noun

noun ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Lack of activity or exertion; habitual indisposition to action or motion uncountable, usually
  2. 2
    immobility by virtue of being inert wordnet
  3. 3
    Absence of the power of self-motion; inertia. uncountable, usually
  4. 4
    Quality of being unreactive with other chemical compounds or elements. uncountable, usually

Synonyms

All synonyms
abeyanceapathycatalepsycontemplationcreepingdeadness

Example

More examples

"Both Decadence and Aestheticism, as intellectual movements, have fallen into the nadir of oblivion, and the dust lies heavy upon them, but they left a little leaven to lighten the heavy inertness of correct and academic literature; and now Symbolism, a greater movement than either, is in the ascendant, giving another turn to the wheel, and to all who think deeply about such matters it seems as though Symbolist literature is to be the literature of the future."

Etymology

From inert + -ness.

Related phrases

self motion

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.