supine

[ adjective soo-pahyn; noun soo-pahyn ]

adjective

1. lying on the back, face or front upward.
2. inactive, passive, or inert, especially from indolence or indifference.
3. (of the hand) having the palm upward.

noun

1. (in Latin) a noun form derived from verbs, appearing only in the accusative and the dative-ablative, as dictū in mirābile dictū, “wonderful to say.”
2. (in English) the simple infinitive of a verb preceded by to.
3. an analogous form in some other language.

supine

adjective

1. lying or resting on the back with the face, palm, etc, upwards
2. displaying no interest or animation; lethargic

noun

1. grammar a noun form derived from a verb in Latin, often used to express purpose with verbs of motion sup

Derived Forms

• suˈpinely, adverb
• suˈpineness, noun

Other Words From

• su·pinely adverb
• su·pineness noun
• unsu·pine adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of supine¹

First recorded in 1490–1500, supine is from the Latin word supīnus lying face up, inactive

Word History and Origins

Origin of supine¹

C15: from Latin supīnus related to sub under, up; (in grammatical sense) from Latin verbum supīnum supine word (the reason for this use is unknown)

Example Sentences

Those proverbial guardrails that kept him in check his first term may no longer be there — Trump has said he will see to that — and with carte blanche from a supine Supreme Court, his maliciousness may be limited only by Trump’s febrile imagination.

From Los Angeles Times

At the height of pro-war hysteria following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 – while the Bush administration, with an often supine Democratic Party, violated civil liberties in the name of public safety – Donahue shoved the propagandists for war and expanding national security state against the wall.

From Salon

Indeed, one of the more disturbing conclusions of these political gaming exercises was that it is very hard to stop a ruthless president committed to stripping away people’s basic freedoms, especially if he or she is abetted by a compliant Supreme Court or a supine Congress.

From Salon

The Tesla board, which had changed somewhat since 2018 but was still supine toward Musk, also asked shareholders in effect to overturn McCormick’s ruling by voting on the pay package again.

From Los Angeles Times

For “Continente,” from 2017, Martiel had nine small diamonds embedded in his skin, then he lay supine in a New York gallery while a white man sliced them out.

From New York Times