stagnant

adjective

stag·nant ˈstag-nənt

Synonyms of stagnant next

a(1)

: not flowing in a current or stream

stagnant water

(2)

: without inflow and outflow

a stagnant pool

: stale

long disuse had made the air stagnant and foul—

Bram Stoker

: not advancing or developing

a stagnant economy

stagnancy

ˈstag-nən(t)-sē

noun

stagnantly adverb

Examples of stagnant in a Sentence

… many people who make their living in academia are reasonably well insulated from financial devastation. For most tenured faculty, the worst they are likely to experience is stagnant pay and deferred retirement. —

Andrew Delbanco, The New York Review of Books, 14 May 2009

"For adults, entertainment needs to be relevant to their life." Chen points to the stagnant US comic book industry as an example of irrelevance. "I don't want to see video games become like American superhero comics," he admits. "American comics live and die based on a very niche audience. In Japan, comics are a national art form." —

Sid Shuman, Gamepro, May 2009

The blue-green algae blooms can occur in both freshwater and saltwater environments, but are most commonly found in stagnant bodies of water enriched by runoff, Paerl said. Public health officials in the southeastern United States are beginning to monitor water supplies for some of the toxins. —

Bridget M. Kuehn, Journal of the American Medical Association, 25 May 2005

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Presented two decades after its titular end-date, at a time when discussions of identity have, on many fronts, turned stagnant and defensive, the exhibition prompts viewers to wonder about emergent Asian American arts scenes in New York. —

Jenny Wu, ARTnews.com, 6 Nov. 2024 Moreover, from 2020-2022, SMAs experienced the most growth (9%) among the top 10 investment products, while mutual funds remained stagnant (-1%), according to the Hearts & Wallets’s Investment Products & Asset Managers 2023 report. —

Artem Milinchuk, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024 Even as more Black professionals secure advanced degrees and high-level positions, wage growth remains stagnant across the board, failing to keep pace with these escalating costs. —

Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 31 Oct. 2024 The Dolphins are currently 2-4, and their offense has been stagnant in the absence of Tagovailoa, as Skylar Thompson and Tyler Huntley have both struggled to replace him. —

Ryan Canfield, Fox News, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stagnant