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Definition of "inactive" []

  • Not active or tending to be active. (adjective)
  • Not functioning or operating; out of use: inactive machinery. (adjective)
  • Not being in continuous use or operation: an inactive brokerage account. (adjective)
  • Retired from duty or service. (adjective)
  • Chemistry Not readily participating in chemical reactions; inert. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "inactive" in a sentence
  • "I may be misunderstanding the term inactive, of course."
  • "As he could never endure what he calls the inactive chattering of the parlour -- people sitting in front of one another with folded hands and nothing in motion except the tongue -- he learnt the art of making laces; he used to carry his pillow about with him, or sat at his own door working like the women of the village, and chatting with the passers-by."
  • "One single thing would be unthinkable: to remain inactive, voiceless, in the face of this insane escalation."