ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsIinert
ISEE/SSATmedium
inert
Meaning: lacking the ability or strength to move; inactive
inert in a sentence
How inert is used in real sentences:
The lizard lay inert on the warm stone.
The old machine sat inert in the corner of the workshop, its gears rusted and silent for years.
“Cold dawns left bees inert on purple asters, but sunlight soon warmed them into motion and restored the meadow's hum.”
— from the passage The Meadow Notebook
Synonyms for inert
Other words for inert — motionless, lifeless and still — carry the same meaning.
- motionless
- lifeless
- still
Antonyms of inert
Words that mean the opposite of inert:
- active
- lively
Where it comes from
From Latin iners 'unskilled, inactive', from in- 'not' + ars 'skill, art'
Word parts
- in/im/ir — not, opposite
inert: in- (not) + ars (skill)
Memory hook
IN-ERT — IN ERror of any motion; just lies there.