disapproval If you describe something as inert, you are criticizing it because it is not very lively or interesting. The novel itself remains oddly inert
Not having or manifesting active properties; not affecting other substances when brought in contact with them; powerless for an expected or desired effect
slow and apathetic; "she was fat and inert"; "a sluggish worker"; "a mind grown torpid in old age" unable to move or resist motion having only a limited ability to react chemically; not active; "inert matter"; "an indifferent chemical in a reaction
A material or gas that does not react chemically or biologically; for example, military thermostats are backfilled with an inert gas to prevent oxidation
Not acted upon chemically by the surrounding environment Nitrogen and carbon dioxide are examples of inert constituents of natural gases; they dilute the gas but do not burn and thus add no heating value