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passive-aggressive personality

American  
[pas-iv-uh-gres-iv] / ˈpæs ɪv əˈgrɛs ɪv /

noun

Psychiatry.

  1. a personality disorder characterized by aggressive behavior expressed in passive ways, as procrastination, stubbornness, or pouting.

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.

Mr. McCourry recently became a father and — after a nearly 10-year long bureaucratic struggle — successfully convinced the Navy to correct his reason for discharge to combat-related PTSD, instead of passive-aggressive personality disorder.

From New York Times • May 29, 2022

The weather bot also has its own pre-programmed, passive-aggressive personality.

From The Guardian • Apr. 6, 2016

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.