Meaning & use
stagnant economy
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Meanings
nouncountable
An economy that is not growing, with little increase in output, jobs, or wages.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a stagnant economy or stagnant economies.
Patterns
- a stagnant economy
- the economy remains stagnant
- stagnant economic growth
After a decade of a stagnant economy, many young people moved abroad for work.
The report warned that a stagnant economy would make it harder to fund public services.
Voters blamed the government for the stagnant economy and falling living standards.
phrasefixed phrasefigurative
Used more generally to describe any situation or system that has stopped developing or improving.
Grammar: Usually appears as be + stagnant, describing a thing rather than a person.
Patterns
- something is stagnant
- a stagnant market
- stagnant wages
Wages have been stagnant for years, even as prices rise.
The company's sales were stagnant until it launched a new product line.
Word forms
| plural | stagnant economies |
|---|
Common combinations
- a stagnant economy
- A stagnant economy offers few opportunities for new graduates.
- remain stagnant
- Household incomes remained stagnant throughout the 2010s.
- stagnant growth
- Analysts described the figures as stagnant growth rather than recovery.
- stagnant wages
- Workers protested against stagnant wages and rising rents.
- revive a stagnant economy
- The tax cuts were meant to revive a stagnant economy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sluggish economy
- A sluggish economy is still growing, but very slowly; a stagnant one has almost stopped growing.
- flat economy
- A flat economy shows no change in output; it is a more neutral, statistical word than stagnant.
- depressed economy
- A depressed economy is shrinking or badly weakened, which is worse than merely stagnant.
Opposites
Word family
- stagnate verb
- to stop growing or developing
- stagnation noun
- the state of no longer growing or improving
- stagnant adjective
- not flowing or not developing
Commonly confused: stagnant economy or stationary? stagnant economy or recession?
stagnant economy vs stationary
Stationary means not moving from one place; stagnant means not growing or developing.
stagnant economy vs recession
A recession is a period when the economy shrinks; a stagnant economy simply fails to grow.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'stagnant economy' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Stagnant economy' means an economy that is not growing, so it creates few jobs. Option 0 contradicts the meaning, option 2 confuses it with a weather term, and option 3 uses the phrase as if it were a feeling.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stagnant economy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.