inaction
noun
in·ac·tion
(ˌ)i-ˈnak-shən 
: lack of action or activity : idleness
protesting the administration's inaction
Examples of inaction in a Sentence
The protesters criticized the administration's inaction on environmental issues.
We must consider the consequences of continued inaction.
Recent Examples on the Web
In the crucial, early hours and days following the disaster, silence and inaction placed thousands at risk.
—
Benjamin MacK-Jackson, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
OpenAI’s inaction, the lawsuits allege, was a business decision spurred by the potential future liability that reporting troubling interactions like Van Rootselaar’s would invite, and how that liability could stand to impact the company’s ongoing momentum toward an IPO.
—Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 29 Apr. 2026
Boston city councilors and transit advocates hammered the Wu administration for delaying transportation projects, saying that its inaction has cost the city millions in federal grant funding and put cyclists and pedestrians at risk.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
The cost of inaction is not abstract.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inaction
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Benjamin MacK-Jackson, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
OpenAI’s inaction, the lawsuits allege, was a business decision spurred by the potential future liability that reporting troubling interactions like Van Rootselaar’s would invite, and how that liability could stand to impact the company’s ongoing momentum toward an IPO.
—Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 29 Apr. 2026
Boston city councilors and transit advocates hammered the Wu administration for delaying transportation projects, saying that its inaction has cost the city millions in federal grant funding and put cyclists and pedestrians at risk.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
The cost of inaction is not abstract.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inaction
Cite this Entry
“Inaction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inaction. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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inaction
noun
in·ac·tion
(ˈ)in-ˈak-shən
: lack of action or activity : idleness
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