dormant

UK: /ˈdɔː^rmənt/ US: /ˈdɔrmənt/ ,(dôr′mənt)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

dor•mant /ˈdɔrmənt/   adj. 

1. inactive, such as in sleep:
   dormant plants and animals.
2. Geology (of a volcano) not erupting.
3. undeveloped or inactive; held back:
   She had talents that lay dormant.

dor•man•cy /ˈdɔrmənsi/  n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

dor•mant  (dôr′mənt), adj. 

1. lying asleep or as if asleep;
   inactive, as in sleep;
   torpid:
   The lecturer's sudden shout woke the dormant audience.
2. in a state of rest or inactivity;
   inoperative;
   in abeyance:
   The project is dormant for the time being.
3. Biology, Physiology in a state of minimal metabolic activity with cessation of growth, either as a reaction to adverse conditions or as part of an organism's normal annual rhythm.
4. undisclosed;
   unasserted:
   dormant musical talent.
5. Geology (of a volcano) not erupting.
6. Botany temporarily inactive:
   dormant buds; dormant seeds.
7. Botany (of a pesticide) applied to a plant during a period of dormancy:
   a dormant spray.
8. Heraldry (of an animal) represented as lying with its head on its forepaws, as if asleep.

• Latin dormīre to sleep; see -ant
• Anglo-French, present participle of dormir
• Middle English dorma(u)nt 1350–1400

Synonyms

• 1, 2. quiescent. See inactive. 
• 4. latent.

Antonyms

• 1. awake, active.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

dormant / ˈdɔːmənt/, dormient / ˈdɔːmɪənt/ adjective

1. quiet and inactive, as during sleep
2. latent or inoperative
3. (of a volcano) neither extinct nor erupting
4. alive but in a resting torpid condition with suspended growth and reduced metabolism
5. (usually postpositive) (of a beast) in a sleeping position

Compare active, passiveEtymology: 14th Century: from Old French dormant, from dormir to sleep, from Latin dormīre

ˈdormancy noun