Meaning & use

stagnant

adjective·Academic

Not flowing or moving, and therefore stale; also used figuratively for something showing no growth.

See it in a sentence

Mosquitoes bred quickly in the stagnant pond behind the old mill.

Wages remained stagnant for years despite the company's rising profits.

A note on using this word

Stagnant applies literally to water or air and figuratively to economies, careers, or relationships that have stopped progressing.

Words with a similar meaning

motionlessstalled

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

flowingdynamic

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “stagnant”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.