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Glite Dictionary
➖ No activity ➖ To stop living ➖ To stop changing
flatline

flatline

8 6.5
A straight line on a monitor that shows no heartbeat or other activity
  • noun
  • /ˈflætˌlaɪn/
translation icon : línea plana
  • During the experiment, the results displayed a flatline, revealing that there was no change over time.
  • monitor flatlines
  • tone of a flatline

Examples

  • His EEG —the test that measures brainwaves— was essentially a flatline.

    Swamp Devil (2008)

  • We got a flatline here.

    Bringing Out the Dead (1999)

  • We got a flatline, room twelve.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The EKG monitor shows a flatline.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Frank, looking at the EKG monitor—a green flatline—backs away.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The doctor pointed to the screen and said, "The monitor shows a flatline, indicating no heartbeat."

  • As we observed the patient's vital signs, the EKG revealed a troubling flatline, signaling a medical emergency.

Synonyms

straight line
vsflatline
49 1.0

A line that does not curve and keeps the same direction

is a linear monitor trace indicating stopped activity or lack of change
horizontal line
vsflatline
3 1.8

A straight mark that runs level like the horizon

is a continuous monitor trace meaning no activity or no progress rather than geometry

Antonyms

activity
362 1.1

A state of being busy and moving

How Active

surge
132 4.2
growth
∞ 1.6
flatline
8 6.5
stagnation
19 6.8

Surface Forms

flatline singular
flatlines plural

Morphology

flatline = flat + line (semi-transparent) = flat + line

The components 'flat' + 'line' are recognisable, but the specialised medical sense 'no heartbeat / death' requires domain knowledge and is not fully derivable by general learners.

Etymology

The word flatline comes from the image of a flat 'level' line on a heart monitor, which shows 'no heartbeat'. So a flatline is the straight line that shows no activity and, by extension, a period of no change or progress.