stagnant
adjective
stag·nant
ˈstag-nənt 
1
a(1)
: not flowing in a current or stream
stagnant water
(2)
: without inflow and outflow
a stagnant pool
b
: stale
long disuse had made the air stagnant and foul—
Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker2
: not advancing or developing
a stagnant economy
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
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
Following a steady decline starting around 2006, the number of crimes reported by colleges and universities remained pretty stagnant over the last decade, according to government data.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Many of us had no job prospects to speak of straight out of college, and slogged through a decade of stagnant wages (all while the Boomers who blew up the economy shamed us for living at home and eating avocado toast).
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
While rent prices have become somewhat stagnant here, homeowner costs were up noticeably, an increase of 6.2 percent annually.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
Yet, with a lack of career support, workers are feeling stagnant.
—Michelle Prado, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
The Jupiter-Uranus conjunction on the 20th provides you with rapid breakthroughs, consciousness shifts, and possibilities to free yourself from the conditions and mental patterns that keep you stagnant.
—Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2024
While wages remain fairly stagnant, or barely high enough to compete with the pace of inflation, CEOs have given themselves a hefty raise.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024
Unlike stagnant fossil-fuel heating techniques, heat pumps are a technology that’s evolving, getting more and more efficient at extracting heat from outdoor air and moving it inside.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 29 Mar. 2024
Furthermore, most specialties experienced stagnant pay across years, while only a few specialties saw cost-of-living and inflation adjustments to their wages.
—Sai Balasubramanian, M.d., J.d., Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Many of us had no job prospects to speak of straight out of college, and slogged through a decade of stagnant wages (all while the Boomers who blew up the economy shamed us for living at home and eating avocado toast).
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
While rent prices have become somewhat stagnant here, homeowner costs were up noticeably, an increase of 6.2 percent annually.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
Yet, with a lack of career support, workers are feeling stagnant.
—Michelle Prado, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
The Jupiter-Uranus conjunction on the 20th provides you with rapid breakthroughs, consciousness shifts, and possibilities to free yourself from the conditions and mental patterns that keep you stagnant.
—Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2024
While wages remain fairly stagnant, or barely high enough to compete with the pace of inflation, CEOs have given themselves a hefty raise.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024
Unlike stagnant fossil-fuel heating techniques, heat pumps are a technology that’s evolving, getting more and more efficient at extracting heat from outdoor air and moving it inside.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 29 Mar. 2024
Furthermore, most specialties experienced stagnant pay across years, while only a few specialties saw cost-of-living and inflation adjustments to their wages.
—Sai Balasubramanian, M.d., J.d., Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stagnant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stagnant
Cite this Entry
“Stagnant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stagnant. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stagnant
adjective
stag·nant
ˈstag-nənt
1
: not flowing in a current or stream : motionless
2
: not active or brisk
stagnant business
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