adjective
inert
ihn-URT
adjective
1
Not moving or acting; lifeless or motionless.
"The patient lay inert on the stretcher, barely breathing."
"After the anaesthetic, his body went completely inert."
2
In chemistry, not reacting readily with other substances.
"Argon is an inert gas often used to fill light bulbs."
How to Use Inert
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishNot doing anything — either not moving at all, or (for a chemical) not reacting with anything else.
Common pairings
inert gas
lie inert
chemically inert
Word Forms
more inert comparative, inerted past tense, inerts plural, inerts singular, most inert superlative
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The patient lay _____ on the stretcher, barely breathing.
Etymology
From French inerte, from Latin iners, "inactive, unskilled" — in- + ars, "skill."