Definition Definition

inactive - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'inactive' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Inactive [ a.]
- Not active; having no power to move; that does not or can not produce results; inert; as, matter is, of itself, inactive.
- Not disposed to action or effort; not diligent or industrious; not busy; idle; as, an inactive officer.
- Not active; inert; esp., not exhibiting any action or activity on polarized light; optically neutral; -- said of isomeric forms of certain substances, in distinction from other forms which are optically active; as, racemic acid is an inactive tartaric acid.

Meaning of 'inactive' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . inactive [ a]
Meaning (1):
- (of e.g. volcanos) not erupting and not extinct
Example in sentence:
  • a dormant volcano
Meaning (2):
- not engaged in full-time work
Example in sentence:
  • an inactive member;
  • inactive reserve
Meaning (3):
- lacking activity; lying idle or unused
Example in sentence:
  • an inactive mine;
  • inactive accounts;
  • inactive machinery
Meaning (4):
- not active physically or mentally
Example in sentence:
  • dreamy and inactive by nature;
  • illness forced him to live an inactive life
Meaning (5):
- lacking in energy or will
Example in sentence:
  • Much benevolence of the passive order may be traced to a disinclination to inflict pain upon oneself
6 . inactive [ s]
Meaning (6):
- (chemistry) not participating in a chemical reaction; chemically inert
Example in sentence:
  • desired amounts of inactive chlorine
Meaning (7):
- not in physical motion
Example in sentence:
  • the inertia of an object at rest