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Meaning & use

passive

adjective·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈpæsɪv/
US/ˈpæsɪv/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparable

    Accepting events or other people's actions without resisting or taking initiative.

    Grammar: Can be more or most passive; often followed by about or in when naming the area of life.

    Patterns

    • remain passive
    • be passive about something
    • passive role
    • passive acceptance

    Do not stay passive when a mistake can still be fixed.

    He was too passive about his schedule and let others decide everything.

    The report criticized the board's passive response to repeated warnings.

  2. adjectivebefore a nountechnical

    Describing a verb form or clause in which the subject receives the action.

    Grammar: Common in passive voice, passive construction, and in the passive; contrast active voice.

    Patterns

    • passive voice
    • passive construction
    • in the passive
    • passive sentence

    The sentence The window was broken is in the passive voice.

    Editors often change a passive construction when the actor matters.

    In the passive, the focus shifts from the doer to the receiver.

Word forms

comparativemore passive
superlativemost passive

Common combinations

passive voice
The manual overuses passive voice, so the actor is often unclear.
remain passive
If citizens remain passive, small problems can become large ones.
passive resistance
The protesters chose passive resistance rather than violence.

Synonyms and how they differ

submissive
Submissive implies yielding to control or authority; passive can simply mean not acting.
resigned
Resigned suggests unhappy acceptance of something unwanted; passive need not involve regret.
inactive
Inactive means not doing anything, but lacks the idea of accepting what happens to you.

Opposites

active

Word family

passively adverb
In a passive way; without resistance or initiative.
passivity noun
The state of being passive or not taking action.

Commonly confused: passive or impassive? passive or impatient?

passive vs impassive

Impassive means showing no emotion, while passive means not resisting or not acting.

passive vs impatient

Impatient means unable to wait; it differs in spelling, sound, and meaning from passive.

Practice

Which sentence is in the passive voice?

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