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passive-aggressive
[pas-iv-uh-gres-iv]
adjective
denoting or pertaining to a personality type or behavior marked by the expression of negative emotions in passive, indirect ways, as through manipulation or noncooperation.
a passive-aggressive employee who often misses deadlines.
passive-aggressive
adjective
psychoanal of or relating to a personality that harbours aggressive emotions while behaving in a calm or detached manner
Other Word Forms
- passive-aggression noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of passive-aggressive1
Example Sentences
Metcalfe’s thesis is driven by a romanticized notion of Blundy’s life, but as McEwan slowly and carefully reveals, his poem, ostensibly a “repository of dreams,” more closely resembles a passive-aggressive act.
There’s even something passive-aggressive about Suzanne’s show of concern for all viewpoints, a trait that becomes all the more conspicuous after a crisis erupts at the school.
“You have to be a little bit ornery, a little bit passive-aggressive, a little bit dysfunctional, a little predatory, to write and record and perform this music. So it was a lot of the right personality types and the right personality disorders, when it was needed.”
It was punctuated by passive-aggressive jabs, snide comments and, upon Trump's return to the White House, the president's derisive reference to "Governor Trudeau" and repeated talk of turning Canada into America's "cherished 51st state".
Besides being overtaken by moss, ivy and ferns, Seattle’s surviving denizens have evolved from passive-aggressive to plain old aggressive.
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When To Use
Passive aggressive behavior is a way to express feelings of anger or annoyance, but in a non-forthcoming way. Instead of communicating openly, people who engage in this type of behavior share their negative feelings through actions.Passive aggressive personality disorder was once also a psychiatric diagnosis.
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