passive-aggressive
Americanadjective
adjective
Usage
What does passive-aggressive mean? Passive aggressive behavior is a way to express feelings of anger or annoyance, but in a non-forthcoming way. Instead of communicating openly, people who engage in this type of behavior share their negative feelings through actions. Passive aggressive personality disorder was once also a psychiatric diagnosis.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of passive-aggressive
First recorded in 1945–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That’s a passive-aggressive approach that looks like this: sending the boss updates every 30 minutes, asking questions you already know the answer to and emailing summaries of every minor meeting or interaction.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
It’s not only a poor form of communication in that it’s passive-aggressive, but it also creates an environment where it becomes increasingly prevalent and acceptable.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 3, 2026
The conflict is often subtle, she explains, and as well as exclusion can include gossip and passive-aggressive comments.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2026
Besides being overtaken by moss, ivy and ferns, Seattle’s surviving denizens have evolved from passive-aggressive to plain old aggressive.
From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2025
When owners forget we are coming, he explains at one of our morning send-off meetings, it “means something,” like that they’re dissatisfied and too passive-aggressive to tell us.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
