inanition
/ɪnəˈnɪʃən/
"inanition" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“inanition” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of removing the contents of something; the state of being empty.
Corpus desk
Index EN-inanition · inanition · English
inanition · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "I" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | inanition |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɪnəˈnɪʃən/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “inanition” in English
Rare enough to double-check
inanition is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɪnəˈnɪʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for inanition, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English inanicioun, borrowed from Old French inanition, itself borrowed from Late Latin inānītio, from inānīre (“to make empty”), from inānis (“empty, vain”); see inane. The correct English form is inanition, spelled I-N-A-N-I-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1The act of removing the contents of something; the state of being empty.
- 2A state of advanced lack of adequate nutrition, food, or water or a physiological inability to utilize them, with resulting weakness.
- 3A spiritual emptiness or lack of purpose or will to live, akin to nausea in existentialist philosophy.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how inanition appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Secondary causes of sleepe are divers; as excessive labour, agitation of the body, repletion, as by excesse of meates or drinkes, inanition, as by Copulation and many more of this kinde, which doe so waste the spirits, that of necessity, there behooveth a cessation to be for a time, that new spirits may be recollected for refreshing of it [...]
1643, William Slatyer, The Compleat Christian, London, for the author, The Second Part of the Catechism, Section 5, p. 110, 3. What meane you by Incarnation? His inanition of himselfe, and as it were debasing of himselfe in respect of his majesty of divinity, thereby to put on humanity.
Etymology
From Middle English inanicioun, borrowed from Old French inanition, itself borrowed from Late Latin inānītio, from inānīre (“to make empty”), from inānis (“empty, vain”); see inane.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.