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 passive

If we want to prevent others from your fate, we need to stop being so passive on these issues.

Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen |Parker Molloy |January 1, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
These “smart benches” can do more than simply serve as passive producers of electricity.

Parks and Regeneration |The Daily Beast |November 3, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
It turned Web surfers into passive consumers of published content.

You Can Look It Up: The Wikipedia Story |Walter Isaacson |October 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The “passive” comments of Senator Feinstein reflect not just a specific response to ISIS but a larger worldview.

Does Obama Remember He's President? |Stuart Stevens |September 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

More and more, Obama seems like a passive observer of events who dismisses criticism as superficial.

Does Obama Remember He's President? |Stuart Stevens |September 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
At the gang-plank were assembled the responsible heads of the expedition—who were anything but passive.

The Christmas Kalends of Provence |Thomas A. Janvier
An “active” or “passive” expression of the eyes was looked upon as especially significant.

The Measurement of Intelligence |Lewis Madison Terman
The man who threatens with the shoulder is more passionate; but he is not the agent, he is passive.

Delsarte System of Oratory |Various
The same in its proportion is to be understood of the passive voice.

Grammatical Sketch of the Heve Language |Buckingham Smith
One bulwark of their faith, as they had been often told, passive obedience, was being swept away.

The Anglo-French Entente in the Seventeenth Century |Charles Bastide

British Dictionary definitions for passive

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 passive

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 passive

British Dictionary definitions for passive

adjective

noun

Derived forms of passive

Word Origin for passive

Medical definitions for passive

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 passive

Example sentences from the Web for passive

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

adjective

noun

Derived forms of passive

Word Origin for passive

Medical definitions for passive

n.

British Dictionary definitions for passive