stagnant

Intermediatezipf 3.31

Pronunciation

/ˈstæɡnənt/(STAG-nent)

Part of speech

adjectiveneutral

Chinese

停滞的；不流动的（水不流动因而变质；或经济、情况无进展）

Definition

Not flowing or moving; showing no activity or development; inactive.

Word family

  • stagnate/ˈstæɡneɪt/(v)停滞
  • stagnation/stæɡˈneɪʃən/(n)停滞状态

Collocations

  • stagnant economy
  • stagnant water
  • stagnant wages
  • stagnant growth
  • stagnant market

Examples

  1. 1.Wages have remained stagnant for a decade while the cost of living has risen steadily. (economics)
  2. 2.Stagnant water in the drainage ditches became a breeding ground for mosquitoes. (literal water)

Synonyms

  • static/ˈstætɪk/— not moving or changing; neutral
  • dormant/ˈdɔːmənt/— temporarily inactive, with potential to resume
  • sluggish/ˈslʌɡɪʃ/— slow rather than completely stopped

Etymology

from Latin "stagnare" = to be standing water, from "stagnum" = a pool