Inaction

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈækʃən/

Definitions

1. The state of doing nothing or failing to take necessary steps when action is needed
2. The condition of not engaging in any activity or effort when something could be done
3. A state characterized by the absence of activity or response to a situation where intervention would be expected

Etymology: "Inaction" is a plain formation: the prefix "in-", meaning "not", attached to "action." The "action" half comes from Latin "actio," a noun built from "agere," "to drive, do, or set in motion," which is also the root of "agent" and "act." The "in-" half is the familiar negating prefix from Latin "in-," which in English can either be a native negation or a borrowed one depending on the base word. The compound was borrowed from French "inaction," which takes the same two parts and carries the same sense of "absence of activity." English therefore did not build the word from scratch; it took over a ready-made French formation and kept its meaning intact. The word's sense has stayed steady: where "action" means doing something, "inaction" means the failure or refusal to do it, a meaning that suits both idle passivity and deliberate restraint.

Synonyms: idleness, passivity, inaction, inactivity, lethargy

Antonyms: action, activity, effort, motion, diligence