passive

[ pas-iv ]

/ ˈpæs ɪv /

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See synonyms for: passive / passively on Thesaurus.com

adjective

not reacting visibly to something that might be expected to produce manifestations of an emotion or feeling.

not participating readily or actively; inactive: a passive member of a committee.

not involving visible reaction or active participation: to play a passive role.

inert or quiescent.

influenced, acted upon, or affected by some external force, cause, or agency; being the object of action rather than causing action (opposed to active def. 6).

receiving or characterized by the reception of impressions or influences from external sources.

produced or caused by an external agency.

receiving, enduring, or submitting without resistance: a passive hypnotic subject.

Grammar.

noting a voice in the inflection of the verb in some languages which is used to indicate that the subject undergoes the action of the verb. Latin portātur, “he, she, or it is carried,” is in the passive voice.
noting or pertaining to a construction similar to this in meaning, as English He is carried (opposed to active def. 8).

Chemistry. inactive, especially under conditions in which chemical activity is to be expected.

Metallurgy. (of a metal) treated so as to impart impassivity.

Medicine/Medical. of or relating to certain unhealthy but dormant conditions; inactive, as opposed to active or spontaneous.

Telecommunications. designed to relay signals without electronic devices: a passive communications satellite.

(of a solar heating system) accumulating and distributing solar heat without the aid of machinery.

noun Grammar.

the passive voice.

a passive form or construction.

OTHER WORDS FOR passive

8 submissive, docile, unresisting.

See synonyms for passive on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR passive

1-3 active.

8 resistant, recalcitrant.

See antonyms for passive on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of passive

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin passīvus literally, “submissive,” equivalent to pass(us) (past participle of patī “to experience, undergo, submit”) + -īvus adjective suffix; see -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM passive

pas·sive·ly, adverbqua·si-pas·sive, adjectivesem·i·pas·sive, adjectivesem·i·pas·sive·ness, noun

un·pas·sive, adjective

Words nearby passive

passion project, Passion Sunday, Passiontide, Passion Week, passivate, passive, passive-aggressive, passive-aggressive personality, passive-dependent personality, passive euthanasia, passive immunity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use passive in a sentence

For marketers, this means an opportunity to sell to a group of prospects who aren’t just passive readers or random social media users but active listeners who are willing to end the day having learned and encountered something new.
Inbound marketing for brand awareness: Four up-to-date ways to do it|Ali Faagba|September 11, 2020|Search Engine Watch
More passive screen time was linked to worse outcomes in health and school achievement, the researchers found, compared with the other categories.
Healthy screen time is one challenge of distance learning|Kathryn Hulick|September 11, 2020|Science News For Students
If the situation turns another way, you might find yourself passive in the face of great evil, unsure what to make of it.
Believing in Monsters: David Livingstone Smith on the Subhuman - Facts So Romantic|Eric Schwitzgebel|September 11, 2020|Nautilus
As others have pointed out, for example, the term “officer-involved shooting” is a passive phrasing that deemphasizes police officers’ use of deadly force, obscuring their role in state violence.
What’s missing from corporate statements on racial injustice? The real cause of racism.|Amy Nordrum|September 5, 2020|MIT Technology Review

It’s not surprising that his therapist says Charlie engages in “passive suicidal behavior” or that Charlie’s love life sucks.
‘A Star is Bored’ a delicious work of fiction|Kathi Wolfe|August 13, 2020|Washington Blade
If we want to prevent others from your fate, we need to stop being so passive on these issues.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen|Parker Molloy|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In a rather passive aggressive letter, the House Minority Leader wrote.
Nancy Pelosi Plays Hardball On Cromnibus|Ben Jacobs|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These “smart benches” can do more than simply serve as passive producers of electricity.
Parks and Regeneration|The Daily Beast|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It turned Web surfers into passive consumers of published content.
You Can Look It Up: The Wikipedia Story|Walter Isaacson|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
More and more, Obama seems like a passive observer of events who dismisses criticism as superficial.
Does Obama Remember He's President?|Stuart Stevens|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Passive hyperemia occurs most commonly in diseases of the heart and liver and in pregnancy.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
In conversation their minds are apt to remain in a recipient passive state.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
A purely passive defence is not possible for us; it implies losing ground by degrees—and we have not a yard to lose.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Whatever his secret care might have been, it was now passive; he was a general favourite, and courted in society.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
And we shall not go there, to be idle—passive spectators to an invasion of South American rights.
The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States|Martin R. Delany

British Dictionary definitions for passive

passive

/ (ˈpæsɪv) /

adjective

not active or not participating perceptibly in an activity, organization, etc

unresisting and receptive to external forces; submissive

not working or operating

affected or acted upon by an external object or force

grammar denoting a voice of verbs in sentences in which the grammatical subject is not the logical subject but rather the recipient of the action described by the verb, as was broken in the sentence The glass was broken by a boyCompare active (def. 5a)

chem (of a substance, esp a metal) apparently chemically unreactive, usually as a result of the formation of a thin protective layer that prevents further reaction

electronics telecomm

containing no source of power and therefore capable only of attenuating a signala passive network
not capable of amplifying a signal or controlling a functiona passive communications satellite

finance (of a bond, share, debt, etc) yielding no interest

noun

grammar

the passive voice
a passive verb

Derived forms of passive

passively, adverbpassivity or passiveness, noun

Word Origin for passive

C14: from Latin passīvus susceptible of suffering, from patī to undergo

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

passive

OTHER WORDS FOR passive

OPPOSITES FOR passive

Origin of passive

OTHER WORDS FROM passive

Words nearby passive

Words related to passive

How to use passive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for passive

Derived forms of passive

Word Origin for passive