Inertia is the inherent property of a body that makes it oppose any force that would cause a change in its motion. A body at rest and a body in motion both oppose forces that might cause acceleration. The inertia of a body can be measured by its mass, which governs its resistance to the action of a force, or by its moment of inertia about a specified axis, which measures its resistance to the action of a torque about the same axis.
He blames governmental inertia for the holdup. After 10 years in an unsatisfying job she overcame her inertia and went back to school.
Recent Examples on the WebWhat is decisive is the size of the global energy system, its economic and infrastructural inertia.Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2022 As soon as central banks shook off their inertia, crypto values started heading south. Arthur Herman, Forbes, 27 June 2022 In short, zero trust chooses security over convenience and inertia. Jon Lin, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022 The effects of sleep inertia usually go away after 15 to 60 minutes but can last for up to a few hours. Kristen Rogers, CNN, 10 Aug. 2022 The operational inertia during the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting is emblematic of a larger struggle in policing to internalize not just the nature of courage, but what defines a leader. Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 July 2022 To see how powerful inertia can be, consider the difference in participation rates at plans where employers automatically enroll workers into the 401(k) versus those where employees must sign up themselves. Stan Choe, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2022 However, spending inertia is very common and, oftentimes, there are some expenses that can be cut out with minimal impact. Cristina Lourosa-ricardo, WSJ, 21 May 2022 And from a forgiveness perspective, the inertia is higher than any other competitors out there. Erik Matuszewski, Forbes, 14 Apr. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Latin, lack of skill, from inert-, iners