stagnant

[ stag-nuhnt ]

adjective

1. not flowing or running, as water, air, etc.
2. stale or foul from standing, as a pool of water.
3. characterized by lack of development, advancement, or progressive movement:

   a stagnant economy.

4. inactive, sluggish, or dull.

   Synonyms: lazy, inert, dead, lifeless, dormant

stagnant

/ ˈstæɡnənt /

adjective

1. (of water, etc) standing still; without flow or current
2. brackish and foul from standing still
3. stale, sluggish, or dull from inaction
4. not growing or developing; static

Derived Forms

• ˈstagnantly, adverb
• ˈstagnancy, noun

Other Words From

• stagnan·cy stagnance noun
• stagnant·ly adverb
• un·stagnant adjective
• un·stagnant·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of stagnant¹

First recorded in 1660–70; from Latin stāgnant-, stem of stāgnāns “forming a pool,” present participle of stāgnāre “to form a pool of standing water, be inundated”; stagnate

Word History and Origins

Origin of stagnant¹

C17: from Latin stagnāns , from stagnāre to be stagnant, from stagnum a pool

Example Sentences

Reform will argue that Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives offer “the same old stagnant promises and policies”.

From BBC

Their wages will also be stagnant or effectively decrease because of inflation and other shocks to the economy.

From Salon

He added that while universities were under financial pressure and tuition fees had been stagnant, it was not the right time to hike them and risk putting students off joining.

From BBC

We need legislation to require that every school — or at least all schools with low and stagnant grades — bring the science of reading to its classrooms.

From Los Angeles Times

Exactly seven months had passed since he took the reins as the Trojans’ coach, and in that time, he’d rebuilt the roster from scratch, doing what he could to stamp a stagnant program with his trademark intensity.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dormant
• idle
• inactive
• lifeless
• listless
• sluggish
• static
• stationary