sedentary

[ sed-n-ter-ee ]

adjective

1. characterized by or requiring a sitting posture:

   a sedentary occupation.

2. accustomed to sit or rest a great deal or to take little exercise.
3. Chiefly Zoology.
   1. abiding in one place; not migratory.
   2. pertaining to animals that move about little or are permanently attached to something, as a barnacle.

sedentary

/ ˈsɛdəntərɪ; -trɪ /

adjective

1. characterized by or requiring a sitting position

   sedentary work

2. tending to sit about without taking much exercise
3. (of animals) moving about very little, usually because of attachment to a rock or other surface
4. (of animals) not migratory

Derived Forms

• ˈsedentariness, noun
• ˈsedentarily, adverb

Other Words From

• sed·en·tar·i·ly [sed-n-, tair, -, uh, -lee, sed, -n-ter-], adjective
• seden·tari·ness noun
• nonsed·en·tari·ly adverb
• non·seden·tari·ness noun
• non·seden·tary adjective
• pre·seden·tary adjective
• un·seden·tary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sedentary¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin sedentārius “sitting,” equivalent to sedent- (stem of sedēns, present participle of sedēre “to sit ¹ ”; -ent ) + -ārius -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of sedentary¹

C16: from Latin sedentārius, from sedēre to sit

Example Sentences

Policies encouraging settler colonialism ultimately led to more sedentary lifestyles and a dependence on fast, convenient and processed foods – such as hamburgers – regardless of the individual or environmental costs.

From Salon

Decades of a sedentary lifestyle, osteoporosis, arthritis and other conditions can lead to weakened muscles, more fragile bones and unstable, painful joints, not to mention balance issues.

From Los Angeles Times

There is “real diversity in health and well-being” for retirees, Hershfield said, noting that some people are sedentary at 65, and others are running marathons into their nineties.

From Los Angeles Times

Less than 10% of their daylight hours are spent in sedentary activities, compared with 54% in industrial populations.

From BBC

Even seemingly sedentary non-native plants are moving at three times the speed of their native counterparts in a race where, because of the rapid pace of climate change and its effect on habitat, speed matters.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• inactive