passive

[ pas-iv ]

/ ˈpæs ɪv /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR passive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not reacting visibly to something that might be expected to produce manifestations of an emotion or feeling.

not participating readily or actively; inactive: a passive member of a committee.

not involving visible reaction or active participation: to play a passive role.

inert or quiescent.

influenced, acted upon, or affected by some external force, cause, or agency; being the object of action rather than causing action (opposed to active).

receiving or characterized by the reception of impressions or influences from external sources.

produced or caused by an external agency.

receiving, enduring, or submitting without resistance: a passive hypnotic subject.

Grammar.

noting a voice in the inflection of the verb in some languages which is used to indicate that the subject undergoes the action of the verb. Latin portātur, “he, she, or it is carried,” is in the passive voice.
noting or pertaining to a construction similar to this in meaning, as English He is carried (opposed to active).

Chemistry. inactive, especially under conditions in which chemical activity is to be expected.

Metallurgy. (of a metal) treated so as to impart impassivity.

Medicine/Medical. of or relating to certain unhealthy but dormant conditions; inactive, as opposed to active or spontaneous.

Telecommunications. designed to relay signals without electronic devices: a passive communications satellite.

(of a solar heating system) accumulating and distributing solar heat without the aid of machinery.

noun Grammar.

the passive voice.

a passive form or construction.

Origin of passive

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin passīvus literally, submissive, equivalent to pass(us) (past participle of patī to experience, undergo, submit) + -īvus -ive

SYNONYMS FOR passive

8 submissive, unresisting.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR passive ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR passive

1–3 active.

8 recalcitrant.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR passive ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM passive

pas·sive·ly, adverb qua·si-pas·sive, adjective qua·si-pas·sive·ly, adverb sem·i·pas·sive, adjective

sem·i·pas·sive·ly, adverb sem·i·pas·sive·ness, noun un·pas·sive, adjective un·pas·sive·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH passive

aggressive passive

Words nearby passive

passionfruit, passionist, passionless, passiontide, passivate, passive, passive anaphylaxis, passive clot, passive congestion, passive euthanasia, passive hemagglutination

Example sentences from the Web for passively

All while the international community observed, if not passively, impotently.

The Radicals Who Slaughtered a Synagogue |Creede Newton |November 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
For some of these kids, video games are a way to passively experience the shock and awe of combat.

Most Young Gamers Unfit For Call of Duty |Don Gomez |October 8, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
But Tehran has rarely been content with passively benefitting from these crises.

Tehran's Pitiful Bid For Attention |Trita Parsi |September 21, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
But Mrs. M is capable of doing much more than just passively standing by her man in his moment of crisis.

The Unflappable Wendi Deng Murdoch |Melinda Liu |July 19, 2011 |DAILY BEAST

Then I was supposed to passively take his arm and stroll offstage.

Top 15 Palin Book Leaks |The Daily Beast |November 14, 2009 |DAILY BEAST
We stood by passively while the masterful doctor heckled and hustled the unhappy Center of Culture into his car.

A Woman Named Smith |Marie Conway Oemler
The Countess was neither satisfied nor convinced; but she was weary and wanted rest, and so acquiesced listlessly and passively.

Barren Honour: A Novel |George A. Lawrence
The king of Prussia did not passively bear all the imputations that were fixed upon his conduct.

The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.II. |Tobias Smollett
Passively she submitted to his caresses, though she loathed them and him from the bottom of her soul.

The Mystery of Lincoln's Inn |Robert Machray
The human masses execrate the scourge, but accept it passively.

The Forerunners |Romain Rolland

British Dictionary definitions for passively

passive

/ (ˈpæsɪv) /

adjective

not active or not participating perceptibly in an activity, organization, etc

unresisting and receptive to external forces; submissive

not working or operating

affected or acted upon by an external object or force

grammar denoting a voice of verbs in sentences in which the grammatical subject is not the logical subject but rather the recipient of the action described by the verb, as was broken in the sentence The glass was broken by a boy Compare active (def. 5a)

chem (of a substance, esp a metal) apparently chemically unreactive, usually as a result of the formation of a thin protective layer that prevents further reaction

electronics telecomm

containing no source of power and therefore capable only of attenuating a signala passive network
not capable of amplifying a signal or controlling a functiona passive communications satellite

finance (of a bond, share, debt, etc) yielding no interest

noun

grammar

the passive voice
a passive verb

Derived forms of passive

passively, adverb passivity or passiveness, noun

Word Origin for passive

C14: from Latin passīvus susceptible of suffering, from patī to undergo

Medical definitions for passively

passive

[ păs′ĭv ]

n.

Accepting or submitting without resistance or objection.

Of or being an inactive or submissive role in a relationship, especially a sexual relationship.

Chemically unreactive except under special or extreme conditions; inert.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

passive

adjective

noun Grammar.

Origin of passive

SYNONYMS FOR passive

ANTONYMS FOR passive

OTHER WORDS FROM passive

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH passive

Words nearby passive

Example sentences from the Web for passively

British Dictionary definitions for passively

adjective

noun

Derived forms of passive

Word Origin for passive

Medical definitions for passively

n.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

passive

adjective

noun Grammar.

Origin of passive

SYNONYMS FOR passive

ANTONYMS FOR passive

OTHER WORDS FROM passive

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH passive

Words nearby passive

Words related to passively

Example sentences from the Web for passively

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for passively

adjective

noun

Derived forms of passive

Word Origin for passive

Medical definitions for passively

n.

British Dictionary definitions for passively