sedentary Hear it!

sedentary Definition

sed·en·tary (sed′'n ter′ē)

adjective

    1. of or marked by much sitting about and little travel
    2. keeping one seated much of the time a sedentary job
    1. remaining in one locality; not migratory: said of birds, etc.
    2. fixed to one spot, as a barnacle

Etymology: Fr sédentaire < L sedentarius < sedens, prp. of sedere, to sit

sedentary Related Forms

sed′·en·tar′i·ly adverb sed′·en·tar′i·ness noun

sedentary Synonyms

sedentary

modif.

inactive, stationary, settled, quiet; see idle 1.

sedentary Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • lifestyle: These figures are based on adults with a sedentary lifestyle wishing to maintain their current weight.
  • counterpart: Researchers found joint and muscle pain were about 25 % lower among the regular exercisers compared with their more sedentary counterparts.
  • occupation: More people are in sedentary occupations; more drive where they used to walk.
  • habit: An average grown man in England of sedentary habits needs about 2,500 calories a day to maintain a stable weight.
  • behavior: Of particular interest was the fact that the amount of sedentary behavior did not appear to affect young people's level of physical activity.
  • existence: He settled in Seven Oaks in Kent but remained active until poor health late in life forced him into a more sedentary existence.

Modifying Another Word

  • increasingly: Walking to school is a good example of our increasingly sedentary lifestyle.
  • largely: Significantly, however, the pupils that took part in this study were largely sedentary, living on established plots or in housing.
  • relatively: All this relatively sedentary activity gave me plenty of time to look around me, of course!
  • mainly: For the last five years has your lifestyle been mainly sedentary?
  • previously: This is enough exercise to more than halve premature death rates in previously sedentary people.
  • very: Even the very sedentary dipper will descend its mountain stream to escape the worst frosts.

Used with adjective complement

  • remain: A third collection of rats remained sedentary during the training period.
  • become: The nymphs can move about but later they lose their legs & become sedentary.
  • class: Physical Activity Within the definitions used in the survey, 25 % of people aged 16 and over can be classed as sedentary.