passively
ɪv adjective
1.
not reacting visibly to something that might be expected to produce manifestations of an emotion or feeling.
2.
not participating readily or actively; inactive: a passive member of a committee.
3.
not involving visible reaction or active participation: to play a passive role.
4.
inert or quiescent.
5.
6.
receiving or characterized by the reception of impressions or influences from external sources.
7.
produced or caused by an external agency.
8.
receiving, enduring, or submitting without resistance: a passive hypnotic subject.
9.
Grammar.
a.
b.
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
Passively
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin passīvus literally, submissive, equivalent to pass(us) (past participle of patī to experience, undergo, submit) + -īvus -ive
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
Synonyms
8. submissive, unresisting.
8. submissive, unresisting.
Antonyms
1–3. active. 8. recalcitrant.
1–3. active. 8. recalcitrant.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To passively
Collins
World English Dictionary
passive (ˈpæsɪv) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —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 | |
| 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
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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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
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