dormant.

Temporarily inactive or not visibly developing, while retaining the potential to become active.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• dormant volcano
• dormant district

On the page

The dormant volcano rose above a town built from its old lava.

Industry lay dormant in the district while the machinery gathered dust.

Usage notes

Primary category: setting. Forms: Comparative more dormant; superlative most dormant where gradation is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.