stagnant

[stag-nuh nt] /ˈstæg nənt/

adjective

not flowing or running, as water, air, etc.

stale or foul from standing, as a pool of water.

characterized by lack of development, advancement, or progressive movement:

a stagnant economy.

inactive, sluggish, or dull.

Origin

1660-70; < Latin stāgnant- (stem of stāgnāns), present participle of stāgnāre to stagnate; see -ant

Related forms

stagnancy, stagnance, noun

stagnantly, adverb

unstagnant, adjective

unstagnantly, adverb

Synonyms

4. dormant, lifeless, dead, inert, lazy.

Examples from the web for stagnant

Consistent, regular input can help you break through stagnant periods, and harness the productive ones.
Family incomes are stagnant, but tuition keeps going up.
Unless it concentrates on industries that can actually drive sustainable growth, it will remain stagnant.
Our economy is stagnant and for the first time in a long time, and the national mood is deeply pessimistic.
Unless a society is stagnant, its language evolves that it really becomes a rather different language a few centuries later.
Outside air often carries fewer germs than stagnant indoor air.
Swarms of flies rose from pungent clots of slick, stagnant water.
At the same time, supplies have remained relatively stagnant.
In stagnant air, pollutant particles linger and can cause problems for people.
The stagnant sales are forcing the industry to examine not only how it markets its films but also how it makes them.

British Dictionary definitions for stagnant

/ˈstæɡnənt/

adjective

(of water, etc) standing still; without flow or current

brackish and foul from standing still

stale, sluggish, or dull from inaction

not growing or developing; static

Derived Forms

stagnancy, stagnance, noun
stagnantly, adverb

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for stagnant

adj.

1660s, from French stagnant (early 17c.), from Latin stagnantem (nominative stagnans), present participle of stagnare "to stagnate" (see stagnate).