passive
adjective
pas·sive
| \ ˈpa-siv
\
\
Definition of passive
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a(1)
: acted upon by an external agency
(2)
: receptive to outside impressions or influences
b(1)
: asserting that the grammatical subject of a verb is subjected to or affected by the action represented by that verb
the passive voice
(2)
: containing or yielding a passive verb form
d
: induced by an outside agency
passive exercise of a paralyzed leg
2a
: not active or operating : inert
b
: of, relating to, or making direct use of the sun's heat usually without the intervention of mechanical devices
a passive solar house
c
: latent
d
: of, relating to, or characterized by a state of chemical inactivity
especially
: resistant to corrosion
e
of an electronic element
: exhibiting no gain or control
f
: relating to the detection of an object through its emission of energy or sound
passive sonar
3a
: receiving or enduring without resistance : submissive
b
: existing or occurring without being active, open, or direct
passive support
4
: of, relating to, or being business activity in which the investor does not actively participate in the generation of income
passive
noun
pas·sive
| \ ˈpa-siv
\
\
Definition of passive (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: a verb form whose grammatical subject is subjected to or affected by the action represented by that verb : a passive verb form
2
: the passive voice of a language
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Other Words from passive
Adjective
passively
adverb
passiveness
noun
passivity
\ pa-ˈsi-və-tē
\
noun
\
noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for passive
Synonyms: Adjective
acquiescent, nonresistant, resigned, tolerant, tolerating, unresistant, yielding
Antonyms: Adjective
protesting, resistant, resisting, unyielding
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Examples of passive in a Sentence
Adjective
The destructive myth/legend of Herbert Hoover strikes again. The nation's 31st President has chronically been portrayed as passive in the face of the Great Depression and his successor, Franklin Roosevelt, as the exact opposite—an activist who, if he didn't actually cure the Depression, at least profoundly improved the nation's battered psychology. — Steve Forbes, Forbes, 30 June 2008 He believes that the time has come for Europeans to discard their passive role with respect to the United States and that Americans must be made to understand why. — Nicholas Fraser, Harper's, May 2006 Throughout the streets of Moscow last Wednesday, word of the ignominious flight of the Soviet Union's would-be junta brought a sense not of jubilation, but of quiet relief that a bloody civil war had been averted, and of satisfaction that the myth of the passive, obedient Russian people might be laid to rest. — Fred Hiatt, Washington Post, 26 Aug.-1 Sept. 1991 “Hits” in “She hits the ball” is active, while “hit” in “The ball was hit” is passive. In “He was hit by the ball,” “hit” is a passive verb.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
How do women break through barriers of active discrimination or passive neglect? — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Biotech Notebook: Human-monkey chimeras, outsmarting outbreaks, Alzheimer’s and more.," 2 Aug. 2019 Last month, viral videos of pedestrians in Harlem, the Bronx, and Brooklyn assaulting passive New York Police Department officers showed that hostility toward the police in inner-city neighborhoods remains at dangerous levels. — Heather Mac Donald, National Review, "There Is No Epidemic of Racist Police Shootings," 31 July 2019 Both call for persistent effort and a little planning to overcome inertia and set more passive activities aside for a while. — Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "How to read 35, 50 or 100 books a year: Give up on the boring ones," 18 July 2019 Energy management plans should focus on managing peak electricity demand, work to incorporate passive cooling strategies in buildings, and ensure the availability of backup power for critical infrastructure. — Pamela Falk, CBS News, "Brace for more killer heat waves, Red Cross warns," 16 July 2019 Naturally, Oscar winner and general U.K. national treasure Olivia Colman also earned a nod, for her gloriously passive-aggressive turn as Godmother. — Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, "What the Emmy voters got right — and very, very wrong," 16 July 2019 Taking into account the Yanai family’s 47% stake and other passive holdings, such purchases account for a big percentage of the stock’s free float. — Jacky Wong, WSJ, "Fast Times at Uniqlo’s Owner Could Continue," 11 July 2019 After being criticised for using excessive force, including rubber bullets, on protesters on June 12th, Hong Kong’s police force had become more passive. — The Economist, "Hong Kong protesters storm the legislative council," 30 June 2019 During a fairly passive aggressive couple’s therapy session between Madeline and Ed, Dr. Reisman theorizes about what led Madeline to cheat. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "This Big Little Lies Revelation Explains The Secret Behind Madeline's Failed Marriages," 25 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Janet Randall, a psycholinguist at Northeastern University, has found that rendering these instructions in plain English, stripping out passives and legalese especially, makes them much easier to interpret. — The Economist, "Too often juries comprise 12 confused men (and women)," 14 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'passive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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