Meanings
plural inactivities
- countableuncountableThe quality of being inactive; idleness; passiveness.
Painters depicted Idle Hours (see fig. 99), reverie, solitude, and other themes that reflected Americans' new willingness to eschew productivity, and they sold their canvases to patrons who enjoyed both the inactivities portrayed and seeing themselves portrayed in inactivities.
1994, Helene Barbara Weinberg, Doreen Bolger, David Park Curry, American Impressionism and Realism1 more example
Shepard: How do the Reapers survive out in dark space? Vigil: We have only theories. The researchers here came to believe the Reapers enter prolonged states of inactivity to conserve energy. Vigil: This allows them to survive the thousands and thousands of years it takes for organic civilization to rebuild itself. But in this state, they are vulnerable.
2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Ilos
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*né
- Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
- Proto-Italic*n̥-
- Latinin-
- Middle Englishin-
- Englishin-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂eǵ-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂éǵeti
- Proto-Italic*agō
- Latinagō
- Ancient Greekἐνεργητικός (energētikós)
- Latināctīvus
- Latināctīvitās
- Middle Frenchactivité
- Englishactivity
- Latinin-
- Latināctīvus
- Latinināctīvu
- Frenchinactif
- Englishinactive
- Englishinactivity
From in- + activity or inactive + -ity.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian безде́йствие, неакти́вност
- безде́йствие (bezdéjstvie)quality of being inactive
- неакти́вност (neaktívnost)quality of being inactive
Catalan inactivitat
- inactivitatquality of being inactive
Czech nečinnost
- nečinnostquality of being inactive
Danish inaktivitet
- inaktivitetquality of being inactive
Dutch inactiviteit
- inactiviteitquality of being inactive
Finnish toimimattomuus, epäaktiivisuus
- toimimattomuusquality of being inactive
- epäaktiivisuusquality of being inactive
French inactivité
- inactivitéquality of being inactive
German Untätigkeit
- Untätigkeitquality of being inactive
Greek αδράνεια
- αδράνεια (adráneia)quality of being inactive
Hindi निष्क्रियता
- निष्क्रियता (niṣkriytā)quality of being inactive
Hungarian tétlenség
- tétlenségquality of being inactive
Irish neamhghníomhaíocht
- neamhghníomhaíochtquality of being inactive
Italian inattività
- inattivitàquality of being inactive
Latin dēsidia, ignavia
- dēsidiaquality of being inactive
- ignaviaquality of being inactive
Māori patekotanga
- patekotangaquality of being inactive
Norwegian Bokmål inaktivitet
- inaktivitetquality of being inactive
Polish bezczynność
- bezczynnośćquality of being inactive
Portuguese inatividade
- inatividadequality of being inactive
Romanian inactivitate
- inactivitatequality of being inactive
Russian безде́йствие
- безде́йствие (bezdéjstvije)quality of being inactive
Slovak nečinnosť, neaktivita
- nečinnosťquality of being inactive
- neaktivitaquality of being inactive
Spanish ociosidad, inactividad
- ociosidadquality of being inactive
- inactividadquality of being inactive
Swedish overksamhet, inaktivitet
- overksamhetquality of being inactive
- inaktivitetquality of being inactive
Tamil செயலின்மை
- செயலின்மை (ceyaliṉmai)quality of being inactive
Ukrainian бездія́льність, безчи́нність
- бездія́льність (bezdijálʹnistʹ)quality of being inactive
- безчи́нність (bezčýnnistʹ)quality of being inactive
Cite this entry
inactivity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inactivity
“inactivity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inactivity. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “inactivity,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inactivity.
Source: inactivity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.