C1adjectivenaturescience
US/ˈdɔːr.mənt/
UK/ˈdɔː.mənt/
not active or growing now, but able to become active later
In context
The volcano has been dormant for 500 years but could erupt again.
Seeds can lie dormant in the soil until the rains arrive.
The virus can remain dormant in the body for many years.
Words that go with dormant
adjective + noun
- dormant volcanoMount Fuji is a dormant volcano, not an extinct one.
- dormant periodMany trees enter a dormant period in winter.
- dormant seedsFire can wake dormant seeds that have waited for decades.
- dormant accountThe bank closed several dormant accounts that had not been used for years.
adverb + adjective
- largely dormantThe project remained largely dormant until new funding arrived.