Definitions for PASSIVE
ˈpæs ɪvpas·sive

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.0 / 2 votes

1. passive voice, passiveadjective

   the voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is the recipient (not the source) of the action denoted by the verb

   "`The ball was thrown by the boy' uses the passive voice"; "`The ball was thrown' is an abbreviated passive"

2. passive, inactiveadjective

   lacking in energy or will

   "Much benevolence of the passive order may be traced to a disinclination to inflict pain upon oneself"- George Meredith

3. passive, peacefuladjective

   peacefully resistant in response to injustice

   "passive resistance"

4. passiveadjective

   expressing that the subject of the sentence is the patient of the action denoted by the verb

   "academics seem to favor passive sentences"

WiktionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 2 votes

1. passivenoun

   The passive voice of verbs.

2. passivenoun

   A form of a verb that is in the passive voice.

3. passiveadjective

   Being subjected to an action without producing a reaction.

4. passiveadjective

   Taking no action.

   He remained passive during the protest.

5. passiveadjective

   Being in the passive voice.

6. passiveadjective

   Being inactive and submissive in a relationship, especially in a sexual one.

7. passiveadjective

   Not participating in management.

8. Etymology: From passif, from passivus, from pati, past participle of passus; compare patient.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. PASSIVEadjective

   Etymology: passif, French; passivus, Latin.

   1. Receiving impression from some external agent.

   High above the ground
   Their march was, and the passive air upbore
   Their nimble tread. John Milton, Paradise Lost.

   The active informations of the intellect, filling the passive reception of the will, like form closing with matter, grew actuate into a third and distinct perfection of practice. South.

   As the mind is wholly passive in the reception of all its simple ideas, so it exerts several acts of its own, whereby, out of its simple ideas, the other is formed. John Locke.

   The vis inertiæ is a passive principle by which bodies persist in their motion or rest, receive motion in proportion to the force impressing it, and resist as much as they are resisted: by this principle alone, there never could have been any motion in the world. Isaac Newton, Opticks.

   2. Unresisting; not opposing.

   Not those alone, who passive own her laws,
   But who, weak rebels, more advance her cause. Dunciad.

   3. Suffering; not acting.4. [In grammar.]

   A verb passive is that which signifies passion or the effect of action: as, doceor, I am taught. John Clarke, Lat. Gram.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Passive

   Passive is a song by American rock band A Perfect Circle. The song, originating from the Tapeworm side-project under the title "Vacant", was eventually recorded in the studio as "Passive" by A Perfect Circle around the time of the side-project's demise. It was the second single from their album Emotive, and peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in 2005.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. passive

   Passive is a state or condition in which action or influence is not exerted or an effect is not initiated. It often refers to the acceptance or allowance of what happens or what others do, without active response or resistance. In grammar, it refers to a voice or a form that is used to indicate that the grammatical subject is the object of the action or the effect of the verb.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Passiveadjective

   not active, but acted upon; suffering or receiving impressions or influences; as, they were passive spectators, not actors in the scene

2. Passiveadjective

   receiving or enduring without either active sympathy or active resistance; without emotion or excitement; patient; not opposing; unresisting; as, passive obedience; passive submission

3. Passiveadjective

   inactive; inert; not showing strong affinity; as, red phosphorus is comparatively passive

4. Passiveadjective

   designating certain morbid conditions, as hemorrhage or dropsy, characterized by relaxation of the vessels and tissues, with deficient vitality and lack of reaction in the affected tissues

WikidataRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Passive

   "Passive" is a song from the band A Perfect Circle's 2004 album eMOTIVe The song is a remake of the song "Vacant" by the now-defunct band Tapeworm. "Vacant" was notably first performed by A Perfect Circle without Trent Reznor's agreement.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Passive

   pas′iv, adj. suffering, unresisting: not acting: (gram.) expressing the suffering of an action by the subject of the verb.—adv. Pass′ively.—ns. Pass′iveness, Passiv′ity, inactivity: patience: tendency of a body to preserve a given state, either of motion or of rest. [Fr.,—L. passivus—pati, suffer.]

Dictionary of Military and Associated TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. passive

   In surveillance, an adjective applied to actions or equipments which emit no energy capable of being detected.

Matched Categories

1. • Grammar

British National Corpus

1. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'PASSIVE' in Adjectives Frequency: #812

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce PASSIVE?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say PASSIVE in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of PASSIVE in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of PASSIVE in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of PASSIVE in a Sentence

1. Michael Goforth:

   I don't know how to describe it. It's so beautiful, it can be a really passive, intuitive thing. That's kind of what your goal is, is to let the water do all the work, and you use your paddle to assist when it's not perfect.

2. Neil McArthur:

   When Akihiko Kondo look at people who've had difficult sexual experiences, they often find trouble having human partners. People wonder why they'd have sex with a robot or a love affair with a hologram because it's passive, but having a partner who is safe and predictable is often very helpful therapeutically.

3. De Niro:

   I have never been this active, but when I see what’s going on with this guy, you have no choice but to be active. It’s past the point of being passive. People have to speak out. They have to speak out over and over and over again. This guy, this administration, is beyond belief. It has to stop.

4. George Orwell:

   For the ordinary man is passive. Within a narrow circle (home life, and perhaps the trade unions or local politics) he feels himself master of his fate, but against major events he is as helpless as against the elements. So far from endeavouring to influence the future, he simply lies down and lets things happen to him.

5. Peter Laurelli:

   Negative sentiment in aggregate by sovereign wealth funds toward global equity exposure mostly disappeared in (the) second-quarter, replaced in part by clear demand for passive emerging market equity exposure.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=PASSIVE
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Passive
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=PASSIVE
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/PASSIVE
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=PASSIVE
8. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=PASSIVE
9. ^ Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms
   https://www.tradoc.army.mil/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/AD1029823-DOD-Dictionary-of-Military-and-Associated-Terms-2017.pdf
10. ^ Usage in printed sources
    https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=PASSIVE