Passive
adjective
Not reacting visibly to something that might be expected to have influence.
She was passive during the entire discussion.
Often appears as...
- passive attitude
- passive approach
adjective
Accepting or allowing what happens, without active response.
He's too passive to confront his boss.
Often appears as...
- passive acceptance
- passive cooperation
adjective
In grammar, a form that shows that something is done to the subject of the sentence.
'The cat was chased by the dog' is an example of a passive sentence.
Often appears as...
- passive voice
- passive form
Usage tips
Academic
adjective
Not participating readily or actively.
Voters who are passive can be influenced by strong leaders.
Often appears as...
- passive participation
- passive involvement
Usage tips
Academic
adjective
In electronics, referring to components not capable of amplifying signals.
A resistor, capacitor or inductor is considered a passive component.
Often appears as...
- passive components
- passive electronics
Usage tips
Technical
adjective
Relating to financial income that requires little or no effort to maintain it.
Rental income is often considered passive income.
Often appears as...
- passive income
- passive investment
Usage tips
Academic
adjective
Not reacting visibly to something that might be expected to have influence.
She was passive during the entire discussion.
Often appears as...
- passive attitude
- passive approach
adjective
Accepting or allowing what happens, without active response.
He's too passive to confront his boss.
Often appears as...
- passive acceptance
- passive cooperation
adjective
In grammar, a form that shows that something is done to the subject of the sentence.
'The cat was chased by the dog' is an example of a passive sentence.
Often appears as...
- passive voice
- passive form
Usage tips
Academic
adjective
Not participating readily or actively.
Voters who are passive can be influenced by strong leaders.
Often appears as...
- passive participation
- passive involvement
Usage tips
Academic
adjective
In electronics, referring to components not capable of amplifying signals.
A resistor, capacitor or inductor is considered a passive component.
Often appears as...
- passive components
- passive electronics
Usage tips
Technical
adjective
Relating to financial income that requires little or no effort to maintain it.
Rental income is often considered passive income.
Often appears as...
- passive income
- passive investment
Usage tips
Academic
Definition 1 of 6
Pro Tip 1/2Emotional Implication
Seeing 'passive' can suggest lack of emotion or detachment in personal interactions.
Her passive face showed no sign of the turmoil inside.
Pro Tip 2/2Potential Misjudgment
'Passive' might wrongly imply that one is weak-willed when they might be patiently enduring a situation.
Despite his passive expression, he was formulating a plan.
Compare with
compliantdocileinactivemalleablemeekplacidsubmissiveuninvolved
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Video examples
Making waves: The power...
That's what happens along a concentration gradient, as substances shift passively from a high, or squashed, concentration, to a lower, more comfortable one. How does this relate to ocean currents and thermohaline circulation? Thermo means temperature, and haline means salt because in the real world scenario of the sea,
Video examples
The secret lives of baby...
So, how did they accomplish this feat? Until recently, marine biologists thought of larval fish as largely passive drifters, dispersed by ocean currents to distant locales. But in the last 20 years, new research has suggested that larvae may not be as helpless as they seem,
Video examples
New bionics let us run,...
comparable to how muscles work in the calf region. This bionic propulsion is very important clinically to patients. So on the left, you see the bionic device worn by a lady, on the right, a passive device worn by the same lady, that fails to emulate normal muscle function,
Video examples
How miscommunication...
it's no wonder our messages sometimes turn into a mush of miscommunication. But, luckily, there are some simple practices that can help us all navigate our daily interactions for better communication. recognize that passive hearing and active listening are not the same.
Video examples
Why do we see illusions?...
But the only way your brain can do that, is that it has to, instead of generating a perception of the way the world was when light hit your retina, it has to do something fancier. It can't passively respond and create a best guess,
Video examples
Stopping Pandemics, An...
we can be part of the solution as opposed to passively saying just let it happen i don't find that to be acceptable we can do things without necessarily stopping all the things that are important we can't open the economy
Video examples
The benefits of a...
and two passive parts, listening and reading. While a balanced bilingual has near equal abilities across the board in two languages, most bilinguals around the world know and use their languages in varying proportions.
Video examples
Is there a limit to...
that's a pretty compelling sign of life. Or, what if, instead of a structure that passively soaked up all the star's energy, like a plant, an alien civilization built one that actively sucked the energy out of the star
Video examples
How electromagnetic...
frustrated so we're trying to use wireless technology to help the visually impaired navigate safely through buildings so how we do it is we have passive RFID tags radio frequency
Video examples
Slow Down With Snow...
in better understanding the passive and active nature of rest we can more easily approach life with calm clarity and ease
Video examples
Making waves: The power...
That's what happens along a concentration gradient, as substances shift passively from a high, or squashed, concentration, to a lower, more comfortable one. How does this relate to ocean currents and thermohaline circulation? Thermo means temperature, and haline means salt because in the real world scenario of the sea,
Video examples
The secret lives of baby...
So, how did they accomplish this feat? Until recently, marine biologists thought of larval fish as largely passive drifters, dispersed by ocean currents to distant locales. But in the last 20 years, new research has suggested that larvae may not be as helpless as they seem,
Video examples
New bionics let us run,...
comparable to how muscles work in the calf region. This bionic propulsion is very important clinically to patients. So on the left, you see the bionic device worn by a lady, on the right, a passive device worn by the same lady, that fails to emulate normal muscle function,
Video examples
How miscommunication...
it's no wonder our messages sometimes turn into a mush of miscommunication. But, luckily, there are some simple practices that can help us all navigate our daily interactions for better communication. recognize that passive hearing and active listening are not the same.
Video examples
Why do we see illusions?...
But the only way your brain can do that, is that it has to, instead of generating a perception of the way the world was when light hit your retina, it has to do something fancier. It can't passively respond and create a best guess,
Video examples
Stopping Pandemics, An...
we can be part of the solution as opposed to passively saying just let it happen i don't find that to be acceptable we can do things without necessarily stopping all the things that are important we can't open the economy
Video examples
The benefits of a...
and two passive parts, listening and reading. While a balanced bilingual has near equal abilities across the board in two languages, most bilinguals around the world know and use their languages in varying proportions.
Video examples
Is there a limit to...
that's a pretty compelling sign of life. Or, what if, instead of a structure that passively soaked up all the star's energy, like a plant, an alien civilization built one that actively sucked the energy out of the star
Video examples
How electromagnetic...
frustrated so we're trying to use wireless technology to help the visually impaired navigate safely through buildings so how we do it is we have passive RFID tags radio frequency
Video examples
Slow Down With Snow...
in better understanding the passive and active nature of rest we can more easily approach life with calm clarity and ease
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Salman Rushdie
Indian Novelist
The question I'm always asking myself is: are we masters or victims? Do we make history, or does history make us? Do we shape the world, or are we just shaped by it? The question of do we have agency in our lives or whether we are just passive victims of events is, I think, a great question, and one that I have always tried to ask.
Quote examples
James Patterson
American Author
One of the nice things about books as opposed to television and movies to some extent is it's not a passive entertainment. People really do get involved, and they do create, and they do have their own visions of what different characters look like and what should happen. It's great - it means their brains are working.
Quote examples
Greg Davies
British Comedian
My dad always told me that, as far as he's concerned, I can do whatever I choose in life as long as I'm happy and can handle the consequences of bad decisions. He only ever said that when he thought I was doing the wrong thing. I would employ similar passive aggression.
Quote examples
Eckhart Tolle
German Speaker
Acceptance looks like a passive state, but in reality it brings something entirely new into this world. That peace, a subtle energy vibration, is consciousness.
Quote examples
Gwyneth Paltrow
American Actress
My life is good because I am not passive about it. I invest in what is real. Like real people, to do real things, for the real me.
Quote examples
Elie Wiesel
American Novelist
Our obligation is to give meaning to life and in doing so to overcome the passive, indifferent life.
Quote examples
Hermann Ebbinghaus
German Psychologist
Mental events, it is said, are not passive happenings but the acts of a subject.
Quote examples
Emraan Hashmi
Indian Actor
I feel I should never do passive characters. They don't work for me.
Quote examples
Paul Mooney
American Comedian
I'm passionate about what I do. I'd be naive to be passive.
Quote examples
Robin Morgan
American Activist
Women are not inherently passive or peaceful.
Quote examples
Salman Rushdie
Indian Novelist
The question I'm always asking myself is: are we masters or victims? Do we make history, or does history make us? Do we shape the world, or are we just shaped by it? The question of do we have agency in our lives or whether we are just passive victims of events is, I think, a great question, and one that I have always tried to ask.
Quote examples
James Patterson
American Author
One of the nice things about books as opposed to television and movies to some extent is it's not a passive entertainment. People really do get involved, and they do create, and they do have their own visions of what different characters look like and what should happen. It's great - it means their brains are working.
Quote examples
Greg Davies
British Comedian
My dad always told me that, as far as he's concerned, I can do whatever I choose in life as long as I'm happy and can handle the consequences of bad decisions. He only ever said that when he thought I was doing the wrong thing. I would employ similar passive aggression.
Quote examples
Eckhart Tolle
German Speaker
Acceptance looks like a passive state, but in reality it brings something entirely new into this world. That peace, a subtle energy vibration, is consciousness.
Quote examples
Gwyneth Paltrow
American Actress
My life is good because I am not passive about it. I invest in what is real. Like real people, to do real things, for the real me.
Quote examples
Elie Wiesel
American Novelist
Our obligation is to give meaning to life and in doing so to overcome the passive, indifferent life.
Quote examples
Hermann Ebbinghaus
German Psychologist
Mental events, it is said, are not passive happenings but the acts of a subject.
Quote examples
Emraan Hashmi
Indian Actor
I feel I should never do passive characters. They don't work for me.
Quote examples
Paul Mooney
American Comedian
I'm passionate about what I do. I'd be naive to be passive.
Quote examples
Robin Morgan
American Activist
Women are not inherently passive or peaceful.
Example 1 of 10
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