inertia.

1. A body's resistance to changes in its motion.

2. A tendency to remain inactive or continue an established course.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• inertial mass
• overcome inertia

On the page

The craft's inertia carried it beyond the intended turn.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Usually uncountable; no ordinary plural in this sense. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: character, atmosphere, interpretation. Commonness: moderately common.