noun
force of habit; momentum of habit
Describes continuing an action or state simply because one has been doing it, without conscious thought or fresh intention. Often used in expressions like 惰性で続ける.
毎日同じ道を通るのは、もはや惰性だ。
Taking the same route every day is just force of habit by now.
惰性で仕事を続けているだけの状態から抜け出したい。
I want to break out of the state of just continuing work out of sheer momentum.
noun
Rare physics term for inertia; the standard modern term is 慣性 (かんせい).
See also: 慣性
古典力学の文献では「惰性」が慣性の意味で使われることがある。
In classical mechanics texts, 惰性 is sometimes used to mean inertia.