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.

---

Other Word Forms

• quasi-passively adverb
• semipassively adverb
• unpassively adverb

Etymology

Origin of passively

passive ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

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

Under the system that rotates policy votes among the Fed’s 12 reserve-bank presidents, Musalem had a say on interest-rate policy last year but will participate passively in 2026.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 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 tall, thin master looked at me passively.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Related Words

• calmly