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motionless

motionless

41 3.0
Completely still with no movement, like a statue
  • adjective
  • /ˈmoʊʃənləs/
translation icon : inmóvil
  • Sometimes he seemed to be meditating, sitting upright and motionless with his eyes closed.
  • remain motionless
  • lie motionless
  • stand motionless

Stiff, expressionless, motionless, stoic, nonchalant face.

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Examples

  • She spat into the fire, wiped her sore mouth with her hand, and stood motionless again.

  • " Tim saw two animals, standing motionless in the shade of a large tree.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The President was lying motionless in the car.

  • All but two, who stood motionless.

  • The stern section remained motionless and high out of the water for 30 seconds or more.

    Academic text (2012)
  • A perfect morning for lying motionless on a raft in a cold Canadian lake.

    Academic text (1990)
  • For a moment, Tom looks at Leo's motionless back, but he has nothing left to say.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The swaying stopped, and she stood motionless, eyes closed, to finish the tale of Barbara Allen.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • All the sheikhs, the president, and spectators rise and stand motionless until the anthem is finished.

    Academic text (2000)
  • The statue stood motionless in the middle of the park, attracting the attention of passersby.

Synonyms

still
vsmotionless
1.0

Not moving or making a sound

is narrower, focusing purely on absence of movement not sound
stationary
vsmotionless
46 2.9

Not moving and staying in one place

is broader and simply means having no movement at all
static
vsmotionless
45 3.8

Not moving or changing over time

is immediate lack of movement without implying long term sameness
inert
vsmotionless
7 5.5

Not moving and without the energy or will to act

means lack of movement without implying low energy or unwillingness
at rest
vsmotionless
7 2.4

Someone or something that is quiet and still and not moving

refers to simply having no movement rather than a restful state
stock-still
vsmotionless
2 6.2

Not moving at all

is the general state of having no movement without extra forcefulness
unmoving
vsmotionless
1 2.2

Completely still and keeping the same position

focuses more on total absence of movement rather than calm inactivity
nonmoving
vsmotionless
1 3.0

Staying in the same place and not changing position

is the same idea but stresses complete lack of movement
moveless
vsmotionless
6.9

Completely still and not changing position

describes being still without implying inability or paralysis

Antonyms

1 1.0

Not still and going from one place to another

How Still

motionless
41 3.0
still
1.0
unsteady
16 3.3
moving
1 1.0

Surface Forms

motionless positive

Morphology

motionless = motion (transparent) = motion + less

The adjective is directly formed from the noun 'motion' with the productive negative suffix '-less', giving the clear meaning 'without motion'.

Etymology

The word motionless comes from motion, which means 'movement' or 'to move', and the ending less, which means 'without'. So motionless means 'without movement' and describes something completely still.