Definition

Adjective: 1. Inactive but capable of becoming active: In a state of rest or inactivity, but with the potential to function or become active again. 2. In a state of sleep or suspended animation: Used in biology to describe plants, animals, or seeds in a period of minimal metabolic activity, such as hibernation or winter dormancy. 3. Temporarily quiet or not erupting: Used to describe something, like a volcano, that is not currently active but is not extinct and could become active in the future. 4. Not currently being used or applied: Referring to laws, rights, or funds that are inactive or suspended for a period.

Usage and Examples

• General Inactivity:
  • The project has been dormant for years, but they plan to revive it next quarter.
  • Her artistic talent remained dormant until she took a painting class.
• Biological State:
  • Many plants become dormant during the winter months.
  • The bear entered a dormant state for its hibernation.
• Volcanoes:
  • Scientists monitor the dormant volcano closely for any signs of activity.
• Legal/Financial Context:
  • The court ruling rendered the old statute dormant.
  • He had a dormant bank account he had forgotten about.

Advanced Usage

• "To lie dormant": To remain in an inactive or hidden state for a long time.
  • The virus can lie dormant in the body for decades.
  • Ancient seeds found in the permafrost had lain dormant for thousands of years.

Variants and Related Words

• Dormancy (noun): The state of being dormant.
  • The seeds require a period of cold to break their dormancy.
• Dormitory (noun): A building with many rooms for sleeping, such as at a school (related through the Latin root , meaning "to sleep").

Synonyms

• Inactive
• Latent
• Quiescent
• Sleeping
• Torpid

Antonyms

• Active
• Awake
• Functioning
• Operative

Idioms and Phrases

• "A dormant period": A stretch of time with little or no activity.
  • The company went through a dormant period before its recent innovation.

Adjective

1. inactive but capable of becoming active
   • her feelings of affection are dormant but easily awakened
2. lying with head on paws as if sleeping
3. (of e.g. volcanos) not erupting and not extinct
   • a dormant volcano
4. in a condition of biological rest or suspended animation
   • dormant buds
   • a hibernating bear
   • torpid frogs