sedentary
Sedentary (adjective) means involving or characterised by much sitting and little physical activity. Example: “Years of sedentary office work left him stiff and out of condition.”
How to use sedentary
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSitting down most of the time and not moving much.
Neutral; very common in health, fitness and medical writing.
Do not confuse it with sedimentary, which describes rock formed from settled deposits.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Years of _____ office work left him stiff and out of condition.
Etymology
From Latin sedentarius 'sitting, of one who sits at work', from sedere 'to sit'.
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for sedentary
See all rhymes for sedentary →Frequently asked questions
How many hours of sitting counts as sedentary?
Researchers usually define sedentary behaviour as any waking activity done sitting or reclining that burns very little energy, rather than by a fixed number of hours. In practice studies often flag people who sit more than about eight hours a day with little moderate exercise as at raised risk.
What is the difference between sedentary and inactive?
Sedentary describes the sitting itself; inactive means not getting enough exercise. You can be both, but you can also be physically active in the gym and still spend most of the day sedentary, which carries its own health risk.
How do you pronounce sedentary?
SED-ən-ter-ee in American English and SED-ən-tri or SED-ən-tər-ee in British English. The stress is on the first syllable.
What is the meaning of sedentary?
"sedentary" (adjective) means involving or characterised by much sitting and little physical activity.