What term best describes the Starliner crew's predicament, technically distinguishing it from being truly stranded?

Deferred departure

The narrative surrounding Wilmore and Williams often used dramatic phrasing like 'stuck' or 'stranded' in public reporting, but the technical reality emphasized that they were not truly stranded in the sense of lacking immediate support or resources, as they were safely berthed to the ISS. The situation was more accurately characterized as a 'deferred departure.' This means their return date was pushed back multiple times as diagnostics on the thruster issues and leak assessments dragged on. They were functionally stuck in orbit longer than the initial mission profile intended, consuming contingency margins for their return vehicle, but they remained in a safe holding pattern supported by the station.