Skip to main content
inaction

inaction

37 4.9
Not doing anything when something should be done
  • noun
  • /ɪˈnækʃən/
: inacción
  • His inaction during the emergency made others question his leadership.
  • government inaction
  • cost of inaction
  • action and inaction

This can often lead to inaction or the wrong sorts of actions.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • And I understand that my inaction was of equally awful consequence.

  • Our inaction is perceived as weakness.

  • Waiting and inaction are active decisions.

  • His inaction is difficult for me to accept.

  • The risk of inaction is extremely high, and every day you live your life, you lose another day of life.

  • Critical to this analysis is the idea that action and inaction both involve elements of risk.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Do not make the assumption that inaction has no price.

  • The city's leadership, as well as the federal government, were warned that inaction would lead to more violence.

    Academic text (1997)
  • No matter what the rationalization to justify looking the other way, inaction always involves elements of risk.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The consequences of inaction were evident when the project fell behind schedule.

Synonyms

inactivity
vsinaction
10 3.5

A period of time with no movement or action

is used when action is expected but is not taken
passivity
vsinaction
9 6.3

Accepting things without trying to change them

is the neutral lack of action regardless of acceptance or resistance
non-involvement
vsinaction
1 6.0

Not taking part in an activity, especially when others do it together

is the broader lack of action beyond group participation
passiveness
vsinaction
1 5.6

A habit of accepting what happens without acting

is the situational lack of action, not necessarily a personality trait
non-engagement
vsinaction
1 7.4

Not taking part in group activities or events

is a general failure to act, not limited to group withdrawal
nonaction
vsinaction
1 7.9

Not doing anything when you should do something, often making the problem worse

is the passive state of not acting without deliberate choice
inactiveness
vsinaction
5.3

A period of not doing anything or moving

is used when action is expected but not provided

Antonyms

∞ 1.3

Doing things to get results

232 1.1

A state of being busy and moving

96 3.9

Taking part in a group's activities

How Active

action
∞ 1.3
delay
405 1.3
hesitation
101 2.8
inaction
37 4.9
apathy
43 6.2

Surface Forms

inaction singular
inactions plural

Morphology

inaction = action (transparent) = in + act + ion

The noun means straightforwardly 'lack of action' from the negative prefix added to 'action'.

Etymology

Inaction comes from the prefix in- meaning 'not' and the word action, so it literally means 'not acting'. That is why inaction means a lack of action or doing nothing when action is needed.