passive-aggressive
denoting or pertaining to a personality type or behavior marked by the expression of negative emotions in passive, indirect ways, as through manipulation or noncooperation: a passive-aggressive employee who often misses deadlines.
Origin of passive-aggressive
1Other words from passive-aggressive
- pas·sive-ag·gres·sion, noun
Words Nearby passive-aggressive
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use passive-aggressive in a sentence
In a rather passive aggressive letter, the House Minority Leader wrote.
When the persistent passive-aggressive Nice Guy act fails, do they step it up to elaborate Steve-Urkel-esque stalking and stunts?
Your Princess Is in Another Castle: Misogyny, Entitlement, and Nerds | Arthur Chu | May 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTRumors, innuendo and passive aggressive jokes—those are huge distractions.
His fits were passive-aggressive: He would claim to be sick, refuse to leave his TriBeCa apartment, or simply not show up.
R.I.P. James Gandolfini: 8 Wild Stories About the Making of ‘The Sopranos’ | Anna Klassen | June 20, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTShe spends her time carrying out a guerilla war of passive-aggressive acts against him that escalates with each passing day.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Jan. 14, 2013 | Jimmy So, G. Clay Whittaker | January 14, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Yes, yes; that is the diagnosis, "personality pattern disturbance with schizoid features and passive-aggressive tendencies."
Warren Commission (8 of 26): Hearings Vol. VIII (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President KennedyLee has to be diagnosed as 'personality pattern disturbance with schizoid features and passive-aggressive tendencies.'
Warren Commission (8 of 26): Hearings Vol. VIII (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy"passive-aggressive tendencies" are fairly common in occurrence, are they not amongst people?
Warren Commission (8 of 26): Hearings Vol. VIII (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President KennedyIt is either a passive-dependent child or an aggressive child, and there is a passive-aggressive child.
Warren Commission (8 of 26): Hearings Vol. VIII (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President KennedyTheir passive-aggressive instincts are intact and on autopilot.
After the Rain | Sam Vaknin
British Dictionary definitions for passive-aggressive
psychoanal of or relating to a personality that harbours aggressive emotions while behaving in a calm or detached manner
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
Browse