static

The word “static” means not moving or changing; staying the same over time. In plain terms, not moving or changing — or the crackly noise of signal interference.

“Static” is pronounced STAT-ihk (/ˈstæt.ɪk/ in IPA).

Here is “static” used in a sentence: “Sales figures remained static for the third quarter in a row.”

Depending on how it is used, “static” can be an adjective and a noun.

The word “static” comes from Ancient Greek. From Ancient Greek statikos, "causing to stand," from the same root as stasis and stand.

“Static” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Static” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: not moving or changing; staying the same over time.

"Stationary" means not moving physically: a stationary car. "Static" covers both not moving and not changing — prices, populations, and web pages can all be static even though they were never going to move anywhere. For describing a lack of change over time, "static" is the natural word.

The usual opposite is "dynamic" — moving, changing, or energetic. Depending on context, "changing," "variable," "moving," or "active" also work. In computing, a static web page shows everyone the same fixed content, while a dynamic page changes according to data or user input.

Because the charge stays in one place instead of flowing as a current. "Static" means not moving or changing, so electricity that builds up on a surface — a balloon rubbed on a jumper, for example — is "static" until it jumps away as a spark or crackle.

Static in this sense is the crackling interference that disturbs a radio, television, or phone signal. It is caused by unwanted electrical noise reaching the receiver, with common sources including lightning and atmospheric electricity, nearby electrical appliances, and weak or distant signals.