ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Inanition

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ɪnəˈnɪʃən/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Inanition is a noun meaning The act of removing the contents of something; the state of being empty.

Meaning

The act of removing the contents of something; the state of being empty.

More Meanings

  1. (philosophy) A spiritual emptiness or lack of purpose or will to live, akin to nausea in existentialist philosophy.
  2. (medicine) A state of advanced lack of adequate nutrition, food, or water or a physiological inability to utilize them, with resulting weakness.

Example Sentences

The Diet of the street-children is in some cases an alternation of surfeit and inanition [...]
It may be reasonably inferred that our baby will first expire of inanition, as being the frailest member of our circle; and that our twins will follow next in order.
We experience some sensations, and perform some actions before our nativity; the sensations of cold and warmth, agitation and rest, fulness and inanition, are instances of the former [...]
I had forced into his hand the means to carry on decently the serious business of life, to get food, drink, and shelter of the customary kind while his wounded spirit, like a bird with a broken wing, might hop and flutter into some hole, to die quietly of inanition there.

Word Forms

Synonyms for inanition

Depending on context, synonyms include emptying, emptiness, starvation, cachexia, lethargy, lassitude.

Antonyms for inanition

Common opposites include repletion.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include lassitude, lethargy, inanitiation, devoidness, emptiness, annihilation.

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Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.