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.
nounGrammar.
the passive voice.
a passive form or construction.
Origin of passive
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin passīvus literally, “submissive,” equivalent to pass(us) (past participle of patī “to experience, undergo, submit”) + -īvus-ive
For marketers, this means an opportunity to sell to a group of prospects who aren’t just passive readers or random social media users but active listeners who are willing to end the day having learned and encountered something new.
Inbound marketing for brand awareness: Four up-to-date ways to do it|Ali Faagba|September 11, 2020|Search Engine Watch
More passive screen time was linked to worse outcomes in health and school achievement, the researchers found, compared with the other categories.
Healthy screen time is one challenge of distance learning|Kathryn Hulick|September 11, 2020|Science News For Students
If the situation turns another way, you might find yourself passive in the face of great evil, unsure what to make of it.
Believing in Monsters: David Livingstone Smith on the Subhuman - Facts So Romantic|Eric Schwitzgebel|September 11, 2020|Nautilus
As others have pointed out, for example, the term “officer-involved shooting” is a passive phrasing that deemphasizes police officers’ use of deadly force, obscuring their role in state violence.
What’s missing from corporate statements on racial injustice? The real cause of racism.|Amy Nordrum|September 5, 2020|MIT Technology Review
It’s not surprising that his therapist says Charlie engages in “passive suicidal behavior” or that Charlie’s love life sucks.
‘A Star is Bored’ a delicious work of fiction|Kathi Wolfe|August 13, 2020|Washington Blade
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
grammardenoting 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 boyCompare 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
electronicstelecomm
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, adverbpassivityorpassiveness, noun
Word Origin for passive
C14: from Latin passīvus susceptible of suffering, from patī to undergo