passively

American  

[pas-iv-lee] / ˈpæs ɪv li /

adverb

1. without emotion, reaction, or resistance.

   Shiloh passively watched the reactions of the crowd.

   At the start of the play, she passively accepts her wretched lot in life.

2. without active participation.

   The walk signals can be activated manually with a push button or passively by means of a pedestrian detection system.

3. in a way that indicates being affected by some action, external force, or cause.

   The patient reports significant pain when the shoulders and pelvis are rotated passively in the same plane.

4. in a way that does not involve machinery or electronic devices.

   The building is on stilts, allowing air to circulate freely underneath, thereby passively cooling the living areas.

   Deciduous trees are ideal because they drop their leaves in winter, when you want sunlight to passively heat your home.

5. Grammar. using the passive voice, indicating that the subject undergoes the action of the verb.

   The sentence was worded passively to avoid blaming anyone by name.

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Other Word Forms

• quasi-passively adverb
• semipassively adverb
• unpassively adverb

Etymology

Origin of passively

passive ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

When you act passively, you don't put up any resistance — in fact, you hardly respond at all. Some people take charge during group projects and others passively accept whatever role is assigned to them. Doing something passively means giving in to someone else's actions or demands without any real response at all. It's easy for your soccer team to win against the opposition when they hardly put up a fight, passively accepting defeat as you score goal after goal. Another way to use this adverb is to mean "using sunlight or the earth's heat as an energy source." Passively heating your new home will save so much money on energy bills!

Example Sentences

“Rather than being passively defensive, we can be more actively defensive,” said Gargash, the U.A.E. diplomatic adviser.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

The ranking also includes “smart beta” ETFs, which are run passively but built on active investment strategies.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

RNA-based monitoring may offer an advantage because cancer cells actively secrete RNA rather than passively shedding DNA.

From Science Daily • Feb. 17, 2026

Approachable, practical counsel on how to make it, however, is no longer as passively accessible as it once was.

From Salon • Jan. 30, 2026

The process of selection, notably, acts on a physical or biological attribute—and the underlying genes are selected passively as a result.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• calmly