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passivity

American  
[pa-siv-i-tee] / pæˈsɪv ɪ ti /

noun

  1. Also passiveness the state or condition of being passive.

  2. chemical inactivity, especially the resistance to corrosion of certain metals when covered with a coherent oxide layer.


Etymology

Origin of passivity

First recorded in 1650–60; passive + -ity

Explanation

Passivity is allowing others to do things to you without complaining or pushing back. The baby-sitter's passivity led her charges to walk all over her. They stayed up all night and tied her to the chair, and all she said was, "Please stop misbehaving." You'd use the noun passivity to refer to the state of being passive — passivity applies to someone who accepts the actions or opinions of others without speaking up. Passivity can help you from getting into a fight but that same passivity can mean you might also get a black eye.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing passivity

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.

At first I couldn’t come up with even a basic story idea, but in a stroke of visionary passivity, I outsourced the job to Sora’s famous cousin, ChatGPT.

From Barron's • Dec. 12, 2025

Far from improving conditions, diplomatic passivity has allowed the government to dig in its heels, intensifying repression and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025

I’m willing to blame some of that passivity on his head injury, but it’s hard to care about a character who only has a personality for three minutes.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2025

But accepting that is a recipe for passivity.

From Slate • May 21, 2025

Her hunger for earth, the cloc-cloc of her parents' bones, the impatience of her blood as it faced Pietro Crespi's passivity were relegated to the attic of her memory.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez