Latency: meaning, example and synonyms
Latencyn. The state of being present but hidden or not yet active; dormancy.
Example
Some viruses enter a long period of latency, remaining hidden in the body's cells for years before any symptoms emerge.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Synonyms
- dormancy, inactivity, quiescence, concealment
- Antonyms
- activity, manifestation, expression
- Memory tip
- Latent = present but hidden; latency is that hidden, waiting state.
Latency is in batch 7. Study it with the rest of the batch, then pass the batch quiz to learn it. No account needed; progress is saved on this device.
Check yourself: Latency in context
The tuberculosis bacterium can persist for years in a state of ______, causing no symptoms until a weakened immune system allows it to become active.
Answer: latency. Present but causing no symptoms until it becomes active is dormancy. Profusion (abundance), tutelage (instruction) and animosity (hostility) don't fit a hidden infection.
Some seeds recovered from ancient storage pits germinated after centuries of ______, astonishing botanists who had assumed they were no longer viable.
Answer: latency. Seeds that sprout after centuries had been alive but dormant. Vigilance, apathy and tutelage are human states that a seed cannot have.