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August 05, 2021 Word of the Day

passive /ˈpæsɪv/ adjective
passive
/ˈpæsɪv/
adjective
Watching TV is a completely passive activity.
Watching TV is a completely passive activity.
Definition of PASSIVE

1 [more passive; most passive] — used to describe someone who allows things to happen or who accepts what other people do or decide without trying to change anything

  • His passive acceptance of the decision surprised us

  • In her books, women are often portrayed in passive roles.

2 a grammar, of a verb or voice : showing that the subject of a sentence is acted on or affected by the verb

  • “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.

◊ Note: The passive voice is a way of writing or speaking that uses passive verbs.

  • The sentence “The house was destroyed by the tornado” is written in the passive voice.

2 b grammar : containing a passive verb form

  • a passive sentence

— passively adverb

  • He waited passively for me to decide.

— passivity pæˈsɪvəti noun [noncount]

  • She was angered by the passivity of her coworkers.

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