dormant

Dormant is an adjective meaning temporarily inactive, asleep, undeveloped, or not currently growing. It often suggests that something still exists and may become active again.

Common contexts include:

• Nature: a dormant volcano or a dormant plant
• Technology: a dormant account
• Medicine: dormant cells or an infection
• Abilities and emotions: dormant talent or dormant anger

Synonyms include inactive, sleeping, latent, quiescent, idle, and inoperative. Informally, something dormant may be described as “on hold,” “in sleep mode,” or “lying low.”

The word entered English through Old French and ultimately comes from the Latin dormire, meaning “to sleep.” It is related to words such as dormitory, originally a sleeping room.

1. The volcano has been dormant for hundreds of years.
   The volcano has been inactive for hundreds of years.
2. My old bank account became dormant because I never used it.
   My old bank account became inactive because I never used it.
3. The seeds remain dormant throughout the winter.
   The seeds remain inactive throughout the winter.
4. Her artistic talent lay dormant until she began painting again.
   Her artistic talent remained undeveloped until she began painting again.
5. The virus can stay dormant in the body for years.
   The virus can stay inactive in the body for years.