Inert — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

unable to move or resist motion

having only a limited ability to react chemically; chemically inactive

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ɪnˈɜːt/

🇬🇧British English

/ɪnˈɜːt/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ɪnˈɜːt/

2 syllables Say it as /ɪnˈɜːt/.

Examples

inert matter
an indifferent chemical in a reaction
she was fat and inert

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

torpid sluggish indifferent soggy neutral

Parts of Speech

adjective	unable to move or resist motion
adjective	having only a limited ability to react chemically; chemically inactive “inert matter”
adjective	slow and apathetic “she was fat and inert”

Word Forms

inertness	noun	immobility by virtue of being inert
neutrality	noun	pH value of 7
sluggishness	noun	inactivity; showing an unusual lack of energy
torpidness	noun	inactivity resulting from lethargy and lack of vigor or energy
torpidity	noun	a state of motor and mental inactivity with a partial suspension of sensibility

Around the World

Europe

🇫🇷French

inerte

incapable de bouger ou de résister au mouvement

🇪🇸Spanish

inerte

incapaz de moverse o resistir el movimiento

🇮🇹Italian

inerte

incapace di muoversi o resistere al movimento

🇵🇹Portuguese

inerte

incapaz de se mover ou resistir ao movimento

🇷🇺Russian

инертный

неспособен двигаться или сопротивляться движению

India

🇮🇳Hindi

अक्रिय

हिलने-डुलने या गति का विरोध करने में असमर्थ

🇧🇩Bengali

জড়

নড়াচড়া করতে বা গতি প্রতিরোধ করতে অক্ষম

🇮🇳Tamil

செயலற்ற

இயக்கத்தை நகர்த்தவோ எதிர்க்கவோ முடியவில்லை

🇮🇳Telugu

జడ

కదలికను తరలించడం లేదా నిరోధించడం సాధ్యం కాదు

🇮🇳Marathi

जड

हालचाल करण्यास किंवा प्रतिकार करण्यास अक्षम

🇮🇳Gujarati

નિષ્ક્રિય

હલનચલન અથવા ગતિનો પ્રતિકાર કરવામાં અસમર્થ

🇮🇳Kannada

ಜಡ

ಚಲನೆಯನ್ನು ಸರಿಸಲು ಅಥವಾ ವಿರೋಧಿಸಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ

🇮🇳Malayalam

നിഷ്ക്രിയ

ചലനത്തെ ചലിപ്പിക്കാനോ ചെറുക്കാനോ കഴിയുന്നില്ല

🇵🇰Urdu

غیر فعال

حرکت کرنے یا مزاحمت کرنے سے قاصر

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

惰性的

无法移动或抵抗运动

🇯🇵Japanese

不活性な

動くことができない、または動きに抵抗できない

🇰🇷Korean

둔한

움직일 수 없거나 움직임에 저항할 수 없음

🇻🇳Vietnamese

trơ

không thể di chuyển hoặc chống lại chuyển động

🇹🇭Thai

เฉื่อย

ไม่สามารถขยับหรือต้านทานการเคลื่อนไหวได้

🇮🇩Indonesian

lembam

tidak dapat bergerak atau menolak gerakan

🇵🇭Filipino

hindi gumagalaw

hindi makagalaw o makalaban sa paggalaw

🇲🇾Malay

lengai

tidak dapat bergerak atau menahan gerakan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

خامل

غير قادر على التحرك أو مقاومة الحركة

🇮🇷Persian

بی اثر

قادر به حرکت یا مقاومت در برابر حرکت نیست

🇹🇷Turkish

hareketsiz

hareket edemiyor veya harekete direnemiyor

🇮🇱Hebrew

אָדִישׁ

לא מסוגל לזוז או להתנגד לתנועה

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'inert'?

The primary meaning of 'inert' is 'unable to move or resist motion'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'inert' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'inert' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'inert' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'inert' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'inert' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'inert' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'inert' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'inert' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'inert' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'inert' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted