Choose the correct one-word substitute for: 'A state of disuse or inactivity'.

Question

Choose the correct one-word substitute for: 'A state of disuse or inactivity'.

1. A. Hiatus
2. B. Oblivion
3. C. Interregnum
4. D. Desuetude (Correct answer)

Correct Answer

Option D — Desuetude

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Desuetude.

Key Points

• Desuetude means a state of disuse or inactivity, most often said of a law, custom or practice that has fallen out of use without being formally abolished.
• The distractors are close but distinct:
  • Hiatus — a pause or gap in a continuous sequence, implying resumption
  • Oblivion — the state of being completely forgotten
  • Interregnum — the interval between two reigns or governments, when normal authority is suspended
• The precision matters: desuetude is about something no longer used, oblivion about something no longer remembered.
• The legal phrase "fallen into desuetude" is where the word is most often met.

Additional Information

• One-word substitutions cluster by theme, and precision between near-synonyms is the whole test.
• Words for gaps and intervals: hiatus (a pause with expected resumption), interregnum (between two reigns), lacuna (a missing part), respite (temporary relief) and moratorium (an authorised suspension).
• Words for being forgotten or unused: desuetude (disuse), oblivion (forgotten), obsolescence (becoming outdated) and dormancy (temporarily inactive but revivable).