deactivate

C2+ Topic:Cause, Change & Process

US /diˈæktəˌveɪt/ UK /diːˈæktɪveɪt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to make something inactive or render it inoperative

Remember to deactivate the alarm before entering the building.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to make something inactive... disable deadenturn offdisengage neutralizeinactivateswitch off

Opposites

activate enable engage trigger

Word family

Derived forms deactivationdeactivatordeactivated

Related forms activate active action

Etymology

Formed in English from the prefix de- ('reverse, undo', from Latin) plus activate, from Latin activus, from agere ('to do, drive'). A modern coinage of the late 19th–early 20th century.

de- Latin agere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Cause, Change & Process Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# deactivate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /diˈæktəˌveɪt/
**IPA (UK):** /diːˈæktɪveɪt/

## Meanings
1. to make something inactive or render it inoperative

## Examples
- Remember to deactivate the alarm before entering the building.

## Synonyms
- disable
- deaden
- turn off
- disengage
- neutralize
- inactivate
- switch off

## Antonyms
- activate
- enable
- engage
- trigger

## Derived Forms
- deactivation
- deactivator
- deactivated

## Related Forms
- activate
- active
- action

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: de-
- Root: agere

## Etymology
Formed in English from the prefix de- ('reverse, undo', from Latin) plus activate, from Latin activus, from agere ('to do, drive'). A modern coinage of the late 19th–early 20th century.

## AI Etymology
Deactivate was formed in English from the prefix de- ('reverse, undo', from Latin) plus activate, from Latin activus, from agere ('to do, drive'). A modern coinage of the late 19th–early 20th century. The etymological trail includes Latin de- and Latin agere. As a verb, deactivate means to make something inactive or render it inoperative. The same family is visible in derived forms such as deactivation, deactivator, and deactivated and related forms such as activate, active, and action. The analysis is partly morphological, with the modern form built from the elements named in the history.

## Topics
- Cause, Change & Process
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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