Nonreaction

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A situation marked by the failure to exhibit any form of response to external factors or stimuli, resulting in complete stillness
2. The state of showing no response or action when faced with external influences
3. An absence of any reaction or change when something occurs or is applied

Etymology: "Nonreaction" is simply the English prefix "non-" joined to "reaction," with no special history of its own. "Reaction" comes from the Latin "reactio," built from "re-" meaning "back" plus "actio," meaning "action," so the word originally carried the sense of acting in return against something that acted first. The prefix "non-" comes from Latin "non," meaning "not," and has been used in English for centuries to form negatives on almost any noun. Put together, the word describes the absence of that return action: a body, person or system that does not answer a push, stimulus or pressure. Its meaning follows directly from its two parts, so the word has no surprising shift of sense to report beyond that literal logic.

Synonyms: inactivity, indifference, apathy, disinterest, nonresponse

Antonyms: reaction, response, engagement, interaction, involvement