adjective · neutral
sedentary
UK/ˈsedəntəri/US/ˈsedəntɛri/SED·en·ta·ry
Involving little physical activity; describing a lifestyle or job that involves a lot of sitting.
Examples
“Office work can be very sedentary if you sit for eight hours without breaks.”
“A sedentary lifestyle contributes to many chronic illnesses.”
“Even with regular exercise, long periods of sitting are harmful if the rest of the day is sedentary.”
Band 8 sentence
“Even people with regular gym sessions can be at risk if they spend the rest of the day in sedentary activities like desk work or driving.”
Collocations
- sedentary lifestyle
- sedentary job
- sedentary behaviour
Word family
Common mistakes
I have a sedentary life.→I lead a sedentary lifestyle. / My life is sedentary.
He is very lazy (=sedentary).→He has a sedentary lifestyle or He is inactive.
stationary→sedentary
Say it for a higher band
5lazy→6inactive→7+sedentary
Synonyms
inactive
desk-bound
Easily confused
stationary
“The machine remained stationary while the patient lay inactive after surgery, but it was her increasingly sedentary desk job that eventually caused persistent back pain and weight gain.”
inactive
“After my ankle surgery I was inactive for several weeks while I healed.”
Related words
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In Health & Fitness
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