Finesentence logo

Inertia: meaning, definitions and examples

⚙️
Add to dictionary

inertia

 

[ ɪˈnɜːrʃə ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

physics

A tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged.

Synonyms

apathy, inaction, inactivity, lethargy, sluggishness

Examples of usage

  • The ball kept rolling due to the inertia of motion.
  • She felt a sense of inertia when it came to making decisions.
Context #2 | Noun

psychology

A lack of motivation or drive to take action.

Synonyms

indolence, passivity, sloth

Examples of usage

  • His inertia prevented him from pursuing his goals.
  • The team's inertia was hindering progress on the project.

Translations

Translations of the word "inertia" in other languages:

🇵🇹 inércia

🇮🇳 जड़त्व

🇩🇪 Trägheit

🇮🇩 inersia

🇺🇦 інерція

🇵🇱 bezwładność

🇯🇵 慣性

🇫🇷 inertie

🇪🇸 inercia

🇹🇷 eylemsizlik

🇰🇷 관성

🇸🇦 القصور الذاتي

🇨🇿 setrvačnost

🇸🇰 zotrvačnosť

🇨🇳 惯性

🇸🇮 inercija

🇮🇸 tregða

🇰🇿 инерция

🇬🇪 ინერცია

🇦🇿 inertiya

🇲🇽 inercia

Etymology

The term 'inertia' originated from the Latin word 'iners', meaning idle or lazy. It was first used in the context of physics by Galileo and later developed into a fundamental concept in Newtonian mechanics. In psychology, the concept of inertia has been applied to describe a lack of motivation or drive. Today, inertia is widely used in various fields to describe a resistance to change or a tendency to remain unchanged.

See also: inert, inertness.

Word Frequency Rank

Position #8,902 indicates this is an advanced-level word. While not essential for basic communication, it will enhance your ability to understand and create more nuanced content.