dormant
[ˈdɔːmənt]
[ˈdɔɹmənt]
A dormant volcano or a dormant bank account are things that seem like they could erupt or produce money at any time. But for now, nothing much is happening.
When we say something or someone is dormant, we mean that it's not active or functioning right now, but it might become so again in the future. It's like a seedling that hasn't grown into a full-fledged tree yet, but it has the potential to do so when conditions are right. In business, if a company starts as a small, dormant operation and then grows, we could say it went from dormant to thriving.
How common is "dormant"?
Word dormant is considered rare in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.
Definitions
noun
A crossbeam or joist.
adjective
Inactive, sleeping, asleep, suspended.
Example: Grass goes dormant during the winter, waiting for spring before it grows again.
quiescentactiveactiveextinct
Real examples of "dormant" in context
