(pronounced ih-NER-shuh)

Most of us think of science class when we hear the word inertia since we probably first heard it when learning about Newton’s First Law of Motion: “The velocity of a body remains constant unless the body is acted upon by an external force.” In other words, if an object is cruising at a particular speed or sitting stock still, it’s going to remain that way until something else shakes things up. The same can be said about something intangible — i.e., a process, an attitude, a career path, etc. — in that those controlling it could have reluctance to change its course.

Example: After getting reamed out for the fifth time in as many days by his unstable boss, Gianni conquered the inertia that had gripped him for over two years and resigned.