nieczynny

Nieczynny is a Polish adjective meaning not functioning, not in operation, or not open. It is the opposite of czynny (active, in service) and is used to describe objects, facilities, or systems that are temporarily or permanently unavailable or out of order. Examples include prisytanek nieczynny (a bus stop out of service), telefon nieczynny (a non-working telephone), or sklep nieczynny (a shop closed). In signage or notices, nieczynny signals a service interruption and is often qualified with time or reason, such as nieczynny do odwołania (out of service until further notice) or nieczynny z powodu naprawy (out of service due to repair).

Grammatically, nieczynny agrees with gender and number: masculine singular nieczynny, feminine singular nieczynna, neuter singular nieczynne; plural nieczynni, nieczynne. The noun form is nieczynność, meaning inactivity or nonfunction, derived from the same root. The term can also describe digital or mechanical systems that are temporarily out of service, for example konto nieczynne (inactive account) or serwer nieczynny (server down).

The word is rarely used to describe people; more common alternatives for individuals are nieaktywny or nieobecny, depending on the context. Etymologically, it is formed by negating czynny with the prefix nie-, reflecting roots in Slavic languages associated with action and operation. Nieczynny thus conveys a state of being non-operational, idle, or temporarily unavailable within everyday Polish usage.