Skip to content
HOW TO PRONOUNCE

sedentary

/ˈsɛd.ən.tɛɹ.i/

Press play to hear how to pronounce sedentary.

American Pronunciation Guide · 0:39
Watch on YouTube ↗

What does sedentary mean?

adjective

  1. Not moving; relatively still; staying in the vicinity.
  2. Of a human population, living in a fixed geographical location.
  3. Of a job, lifestyle, etc., not moving much; sitting around; inactive.
More meanings (3)

noun

  1. A sedentary person.

adjective

  1. (obsolete) Inactive; motionless; sluggish; tranquil.
  2. (obsolete) Caused by long sitting.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈsɛd.ən.tɛɹ.i/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

In some places sedentary tribes may have been driven away and their territory occupied by more war-like, but less highly cultivated tribes.
Emory Adams AllenThe Prehistoric World; Or, Vanished RacesProject Gutenberg ebook #2873
He was a seaman, but he was a wanderer, too, while most seamen lead, if one may so express it, a sedentary life.
Joseph ConradHeart of DarknessProject Gutenberg ebook #219
More book examples (1)
Then the furies would break loose again, and once more we would play the waiting game, meanwhile concerning ourselves with more sedentary occupations.
Douglas, Sir MawsonThe Home of the Blizzard Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914Project Gutenberg ebook #6137