passive

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 ).

10.

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

11.

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

12.

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

13.

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

14.

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

noun Grammar.

15.

the passive voice.

16.

a passive form or construction.

00:10

Passive is always a great word to know.

So is amaranth. Does it mean:

an atomic spatial arrangement that results from rotation of carbon atoms about single bonds within an organic molecule

a purplish-red, water-soluble powder, C20H11N2O10Na3, an azo dye used chiefly to color pharmaceuticals, food, and garments

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

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

Related forms

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

Can be confused: aggressive, passive.

Synonyms
8. submissive, unresisting.

Antonyms
1–3. active. 8. recalcitrant.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source

Link To Passive

Collins

World English Dictionary

passive (ˈpæsɪv)

—*adj*
1.	not active or not participating perceptibly in an activity, organization, etc
2.	unresisting and receptive to external forces; submissive
3.	not working or operating
4.	affected or acted upon by an external object or force
5.	grammar Compare active 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
6.	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
7.	electronics, telecomm
	a. containing no source of power and therefore capable only of attenuating a signal: a passive network
	b. not capable of amplifying a signal or controlling a function: a passive communications satellite
8.	finance (of a bond, share, debt, etc) yielding no interest

—n
9.	grammar
	a. the passive voice
	b. a passive verb

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

'passively

—*adv*

pas'sivity

—n

'passiveness

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

passive

1388, in grammatical sense (opposed to active), from L. passivus "capable of feeling or suffering," from pass-, pp. stem of pati "to suffer" (see passion). Meaning "not active" is first recorded 1477. Passive resistance first attested 1819 in Scott's "Ivanhoe"; re-coined

by Gandhi c.1906 in S.Africa.

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

passive pas·sive (pās'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.

pas'sive·ly adv.
pas'sive·ness n.

Example sentences

To their detractors, this passive style of investing offers nothing more than

“guaranteed mediocrity”.

There are two kinds: passive and powered.

The passive voice cannot always be avoided (nor should it be).

We have a lot of passive students here.

Remove ads like these. Upgrade now!

passivity past participle active immunity active reason adoptive immunity aggressive

Matching Quote

"A few days ago, while seated snugly in an airplane seat on my way back to New York from Chicago,... it occurred to me that a rather striking similarity existed between the situation I found myself in then, flying in a modern airplane, and what I've often felt as I watch television. To begin with, both experiences are largely passive, or at any rate they have been transformed into passive experiences. But this shared passivity is itself more complicated than it seems, for though it produces in both cases an obvious condition of quiet and inactivity, it also demands from the passenger or viewer a very definite emotional commitment. One might call it a commitment to specifically nonaggressive and uninvolved behavior."

-Michael J. Arlen