passive
Americanadjective
-
not reacting visibly to something that might be expected to produce manifestations of an emotion or feeling.
- Antonyms:
- active
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not participating readily or actively; inactive.
a passive member of a committee.
- Antonyms:
- active
-
not involving visible reaction or active participation.
to play a passive role.
- Antonyms:
- active
-
inert or quiescent.
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influenced, acted upon, or affected by some external force, cause, or agency; being the object of action rather than causing action (active ).
-
receiving or characterized by the reception of impressions or influences from external sources.
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produced or caused by an external agency.
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receiving, enduring, or submitting without resistance.
a passive hypnotic subject.
- Synonyms:
- docile, submissive
- Antonyms:
- recalcitrant, resistant
-
Grammar.
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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.
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noting or pertaining to a construction similar to this in meaning, as English He is carried (active ).
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Chemistry. inactive, especially under conditions in which chemical activity is to be expected.
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Metallurgy. (of a metal) treated so as to impart impassivity.
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Medicine/Medical. of or relating to certain unhealthy but dormant conditions; inactive, as opposed to active or spontaneous.
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Telecommunications. designed to relay signals without electronic devices.
a passive communications satellite.
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(of a solar heating system) accumulating and distributing solar heat without the aid of machinery.
noun
-
the passive voice.
-
a passive form or construction.
adjective
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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
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grammar 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 Compare active
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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
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electronics telecomm
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containing no source of power and therefore capable only of attenuating a signal
a passive network
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not capable of amplifying a signal or controlling a function
a passive communications satellite
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finance (of a bond, share, debt, etc) yielding no interest
noun
Other Word Forms
- passively adverb
- passivity noun
- quasi-passive adjective
- semipassive adjective
- semipassiveness noun
- unpassive adjective
Etymology
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 adjective suffix; -ive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One factor reinforcing Block’s motivation for shorting credit is his opinion that there is too much passive investing in the market that automatically exaggerates moves when they come.
From MarketWatch
The company has said the updated rules are meant to ensure the Nasdaq-100 “remains timely and representative” of the market, and to allow passive managers to easily replicate the index.
From MarketWatch
"It shows that these non-pathogenic bacteria are not just passive residents but can actively manipulate human cells by injecting their proteins into our cells."
From Science Daily
But Paramount has insisted that its foreign backers will only have passive roles and will not have board seats or any voting interest in the combined company.
From MarketWatch
The deals were pitched by Ascent Equity Group, a firm founded by a Boulder, Colo., physician, whose website touts “passive real estate for physicians, by physicians.”
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
