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YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

stagnant

Adjective

IPA /ˈstæɡnənt/

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Meaning in plain English

Not growing, developing or making progress.

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Pronunciation

stagnant/ˈstæɡnənt/

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  1. Sales at the start of the year

  2. Sales stay at the same level

  3. No growth by the year's end

Stagnant sales show no development or growth.

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  1. The club's membership remained stagnant for three years.
  2. The team proposed new ideas to revive stagnant sales.

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The club's membership remained ________ for three years.
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stagnant — Not growing, developing or making progress.

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Not growing, developing or making progress.

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Word origin

From Latin stagnare, meaning to form a pool, related to stagnum, standing water.

Did you know?

The literal meaning concerns unmoving water; the figurative meaning describes a lack of development.

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stagnant

/ˈstæɡnənt/ (Adjective)

“Usually negative. It suggests an undesirable lack of progress, rather than welcome stability.”

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