passive vocabulary

noun

1. all the words, collectively, that a person can understand Compare active vocabulary

Example Sentences

The fact that the passive vocabulary is ordinarily much larger than the active indicates a certain amount of inert energy, of power not freely controlled by an individual.

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It is usual to distinguish between one's active and one's passive vocabulary, the latter being composed of the words that are understood when they are heard or seen, the former of words that are used intelligently.

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