immobile

Everyday

1. Not moving at all; perfectly still. tree →
2. Not able to move or be moved, for example because of an injury, illness or because something is fixed in place. tree →

In the lessons

In science, some living things are immobile, like plants and barnacles, which stay in one place. In stories a frightened character stands immobile, frozen with fear. In health, a person with a broken leg may be immobile for weeks. Phrases: stand immobile, lie immobile, completely immobile.

Examples

• The cat sat immobile, watching the mouse hole. tree →
• After the accident he was immobile for a month. tree →
• Plants are immobile, so they can't run from danger. tree →
• The statue-like guard stood immobile at the palace gate. tree →
• The heavy wardrobe was immobile; we couldn't shift it. tree →
• In musical statues you must stay immobile when the music stops. tree →
• The eagle-eyed man lifted a face, thin and sharp as though it had been carven on the wind, and he stared forward with an immobile intentness. tree →

Note

Opposite: «mobile» (able to move). Nouns: «immobility». Verb: «immobilise» (to stop something moving). Pronounced ih-MOH-bile (UK) or ih-MOH-bul (US).