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# inaction

«inaction» in Mova's school dictionary: **not doing anything, especially when something should be done** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (inaction, uncountable)

### meaning for a pupil

Inaction means not doing anything, especially when something should be done. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inaction/#m1)

### sense in the lessons

In news and citizenship lessons, people criticise «inaction on climate change» when governments do not act. In ethics, choosing inaction is still a choice with consequences: if you see bullying and do nothing, your inaction matters. In stories, a character's inaction can lead to disaster. Phrases: a period of inaction, inaction on, criticised for inaction.

### examples

- The council was criticised for its inaction over the potholes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inaction/#x1)
- Inaction on pollution harms the planet. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inaction/#x2)
- His inaction let the problem grow worse. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inaction/#x3)
- After weeks of inaction, the team finally made a plan. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inaction/#x4)
- Sometimes inaction is the safest choice, like waiting for help. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inaction/#x5)
- Doing nothing when a friend is bullied is a kind of inaction. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inaction/#x6)

### note

Uncountable. Formal. «In-» means not; inaction is the opposite of action. Not the same as «inactive» (an adjective).

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «inaction» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inaction/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.