inertia
Meaning: The tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion; figuratively, a lack of activity or initiative, especially when action is needed.
In physics, inertia is the property described by Newton's first law: an object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion, unless acted upon by an external force. The figurative use is extremely common in everyday English, describing resistance to change in organisations, politics, or personal behaviour. 'Inertial' is the adjective form.
Examples
- Newton's first law states that a body will remain in its state of rest or uniform motion unless acted upon by a force — this is the principle of inertia. 牛顿第一定律指出,物体将保持其静止或匀速运动状态,除非受到外力作用——这就是惯性原理。La primera ley de Newton establece que un cuerpo permanecerá en reposo o en movimiento uniforme a menos que actúe sobre él una fuerza: este es el principio de inercia.ニュートンの第一法則は、物体は力が加わらない限り静止または等速運動の状態を維持すると述べている——これが慣性の原理である。뉴턴의 제1법칙은 물체에 힘이 가해지지 않는 한 정지 또는 등속 운동 상태를 유지한다고 말한다 — 이것이 관성의 원리이다.
- Bureaucratic inertia prevented the council from responding quickly to the crisis. 官僚主义的惰性使得市议会无法迅速应对危机。La inercia burocrática impidió al ayuntamiento responder con rapidez a la crisis.官僚的な惰性のため、議会は危機に迅速に対応できなかった。관료적 관성으로 인해 의회는 위기에 신속하게 대응하지 못했다.
- The sheer inertia of the organisation made any attempt at reform extraordinarily difficult. 该组织本身的巨大惰性使得任何改革尝试都极其困难。La enorme inercia de la organización hacía extraordinariamente difícil cualquier intento de reforma.組織そのものの大きな慣性が、あらゆる改革の試みを極めて困難にした。조직 자체의 막대한 관성이 모든 개혁 시도를 극히 어렵게 만들었다.
Pronunciation
Usage Guide
Context: academic, professional, media
Tone: neutral
Origin & History
From Latin inertia (idleness, inactivity), from iners (unskilled, inactive). Adopted into English in the 18th century, initially in the Newtonian physics sense.
Cultural Context
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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