inactive ingredient

noun

A component of a mixture product which does not directly contribute to the product's primary goal, but helps to make the product more stimulating to the consumer or to assist the active ingredient in some small manner.

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Meanings

nouninactive ingredient (plural inactive ingredients)

plural inactive ingredients

  1. A component of a mixture product which does not directly contribute to the product's primary goal, but helps to make the product more stimulating to the consumer or to assist the active ingredient in some small manner.

Origin

From in- + active ingredient.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

inactive ingredient. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inactive%20ingredient

MLA

“inactive ingredient.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inactive%20ingredient. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “inactive ingredient,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inactive%20ingredient.

Source: inactive ingredient on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.