sedentary
adjective
sed·en·tary ˈse-dᵊn-ˌter-ē 
1
: not migratory : settled
sedentary birds
sedentary civilizations
2
a
: doing or requiring much sitting
a sedentary job
b
: not physically active
a sedentary lifestyle
3
: permanently attached
sedentary barnacles
Did you know?
Sit and Learn About Sedentary
Sedentary comes from Latin sedēre, meaning "to sit." Other descendants of sedēre include dissident, insidious, preside, reside, and subsidy. Sedēre is also the base of the rare sedens, a noun meaning "a person who remains a resident of the place or region of his or her birth."
Example Sentences
Editing the dictionary is a sedentary job. The work is very sedentary. Their health problems were caused by their sedentary lifestyles. He became sedentary later on in his life.
Recent Examples on the Web The study, presented Tuesday at the 2022 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in San Diego, followed 296 participants who were completely sedentary at the beginning of the experiment. 
Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 2 Aug. 2022 Other conditions and risk factors that fall into this category include having type 2 diabetes; carrying extra weight; not eating enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; and being sedentary. Sara Gaynes Levy, SELF, 31 Aug. 2022 Thus, tracking a person’s location via satellites or accelerometer sensors can help detect sedentary life which may highlight depression. Sergey Avdeychik, Forbes, 17 June 2022 This is also helpful to combat the bad health effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 8 Aug. 2022 That might sound like a bad thing, but any kind of movement is an excellent counter to a sedentary lifestyle. Wired, 11 July 2022 Our bodies are designed for movement so being sedentary creates stiff, weakened muscles and decreased joint lubrication, including dehydration of spinal discs — all of which can lead to low back pain. Dana Santas, CNN, 7 July 2022 Being sedentary after years of playing sports was frustrating to Stoller. Kat Cornetta, BostonGlobe.com, 5 July 2022 Most adults live pretty sedentary lives where the idea of playing sports with their friends or families is intimidating. Jeff Fromm, Forbes, 1 July 2022 See More
Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 2 Aug. 2022 Other conditions and risk factors that fall into this category include having type 2 diabetes; carrying extra weight; not eating enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; and being sedentary. Sara Gaynes Levy, SELF, 31 Aug. 2022 Thus, tracking a person’s location via satellites or accelerometer sensors can help detect sedentary life which may highlight depression. Sergey Avdeychik, Forbes, 17 June 2022 This is also helpful to combat the bad health effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 8 Aug. 2022 That might sound like a bad thing, but any kind of movement is an excellent counter to a sedentary lifestyle. Wired, 11 July 2022 Our bodies are designed for movement so being sedentary creates stiff, weakened muscles and decreased joint lubrication, including dehydration of spinal discs — all of which can lead to low back pain. Dana Santas, CNN, 7 July 2022 Being sedentary after years of playing sports was frustrating to Stoller. Kat Cornetta, BostonGlobe.com, 5 July 2022 Most adults live pretty sedentary lives where the idea of playing sports with their friends or families is intimidating. Jeff Fromm, Forbes, 1 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle French sedentaire, from Latin sedentarius, from sedent-, sedens, present participle of sedēre to sit — more at sit
First Known Use
1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
sedentary
adjective
sed·en·tary ˈse-dᵊn-ˌter-ē
: doing much sitting : not physically active
Medical Definition
sedentary
adjective
sed·en·tary ˈsed-ᵊn-ˌter-ē
: doing or requiring much sitting : characterized by a lack of physical activity
increased risk of heart disease for those with sedentary jobs
sedentary
adjective
as in lazy
not doing or involving a lot of physical activity They led a sedentary life after retirement, spending their days in front of the television. Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- lazy
- sleepy
- dormant
- resting
- static
- immobile
- inactive
- dull
- lethargic
- slothful
- stationary
- motionless
- torpid
- quiescent
- indolent
- sluggish
- listless
- inanimate
- inert
- shiftless
- apathetic
- still
- ambitionless
- sluggard
- languorous
- drugged
- sluggardly
- slack
- lazyish
- drowsy
- dopey
- comatose
- catatonic
- asleep
- somnambulant
- dead
- dopy
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- active
- mobile
- engaged
- busy
- occupied
- working
- energetic
- vigorous
- dynamic
- kinetic
- lively
- spirited
- vivacious
- animated
- industrious
- sprightly
- vital
- diligent
- bouncing
- hardworking
- assiduous
- perky
- peppy
- springy
- sedulous
- zippy