inertness

noun

Definition of inertnessnext
as in inertia
lack of action or activity the noticeable inertness of the campus on weekends, when most of the students go home

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 inertness So a material known for its inertness suddenly shows its true colors and starts to react and act as a catalyst. — Chris Lee, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inertness
  1. inertia
  2. inaction
Noun
  • Beijing will likely suffer from a lengthy period of political inertia under Xi, coupled with a hollowing out of bureaucratic capacity—and then see a succession crisis in the 2030s or 2040s.
    — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The Stanford researchers estimated that sellers can roughly double revenue because of consumer inertia, when people forget or put off canceling, and cancellation friction, when ending a subscription takes too much time or effort.
    — Barbara Booth, CNBC, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of inertia
Noun
  • People reported incidents from 10, 20, even 40 years ago, and claimed to have regretted their inaction ever since.
    — Vanessa Bohns, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
  • One answer to such questions comes from the recent resignation of BOR Vice Chair Juanita James, who was appointed to head the search for a new CSCU chancellor, and faced her own criticism for alleged inaction over the problems within the BOR.
    — Dr. Matthew Warshauer, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of inaction

Browse Nearby Words

inertia
inertness
inescapable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inertness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inertness. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of inscrutable

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All