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   pas·sive

   /ˈpasiv/

   adjective

   • 1. accepting or allowing what happens or what others do, without active response or resistance: "the women were portrayed as passive victims" Similar submissiveacquiescentunresistingyieldingunassertivenonresistantcompliantcomplaisantpliantresignedobedientdociletractablemalleablepliablemeeksubdueddeferentialforbearinglong-sufferingpatientlamblikenonviolentsupinenonaggressivearchaic:resistlessOpposite activeassertive
   • 2. denoting or relating to a voice of verbs in which the subject undergoes the action of the verb (e.g., they were killed as opposed to he killed them).
   • 3. (of a circuit or device) containing no source of electromotive force: "a passive optical network is to be installed in 2000 homes"
   • ▪ (of radar or a satellite) receiving or reflecting radiation from a transmitter or target rather than generating its own signal: "passive sensors detect the emissions from enemy radar"
   • ▪ relating to or denoting heating systems that make use of incident sunlight as an energy source: "bananas can be grown at the highest altitude using passive solar heating alone"
   • 4. (of a metal) made unreactive by a thin inert surface layer of oxide.

   noun

   • 1. a passive form of a verb.
   • ▪ the passive voice.

   Word Origin late Middle English(in passive (sense 2 of the adjective), also in the sense ‘(exposed to) suffering, acted on by an external agency’): from Latin passivus, from pass- ‘suffered’, from the verb pati.

   Derivatives

   • 1. passiveness noun

   Scrabble Points: 12

   • P

     3

   • A

     1

   • S

     1

   • S

     1

   • I

     1

   • V

     4

   • E

     1

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   More definitions, origin and scrabble points

2. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › passivePassive Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › passive

   • Cached

   Jun 9, 2012 · a (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.

3. www.dictionary.com › browse › passivePASSIVE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

   www.dictionary.com › browse › passive

   • Cached

   receiving, enduring, or submitting without resistance: a passive hypnotic subject. Synonyms: docile, submissive. Antonyms: recalcitrant, resistant. 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.

4. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishPASSIVE definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

   www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   If you describe someone as passive, you mean that they do not take action but instead let things happen to them. [disapproval] His passive attitude made things easier for me. Even passive acceptance of the regime was a kind of collaboration. Synonyms: submissive, resigned, compliant, receptive More Synonyms of passive.

5. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishPASSIVE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   Jul 4, 2015 · PASSIVE definition: 1. The passive form of a verb is being used when the grammatical subject is the person or thing…. Learn more.

6. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › passivePassive - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › passive

   Passive is the opposite of active. In English class, you might be advised to avoid the passive voice. In chemistry, a passive substance doesn't react. Passive resistance is a way to protest peacefully. When you're passive, you don't participate much and you're not very emotional.

7. www.thefreedictionary.com › passivePassive - definition of passive by The Free Dictionary

   www.thefreedictionary.com › passive

   • Cached

   adj. 1. Receiving or subjected to an action without responding or initiating an action in return: the mind viewed as a passive receptacle for sensory experience. 2. Accepting or submitting without objection or resistance; submissive: a passive acceptance of one's fate. 3.

8. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionaryPASSIVE | definition in the Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary

   • Cached

   PASSIVE meaning: 1. letting things happen to you and not taking action: 2. A passive verb or sentence is one in…. Learn more.