passive

adjective

ˈpa-siv How to pronounce passive (audio)
Definition of passivenext
as in resigned
receiving or enduring without offering resistance the union rank and file were surprisingly passive about the givebacks in the new labor contract

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word passive different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of passive are idle, inactive, inert, and supine. While all these words mean "not engaged in work or activity," passive implies immobility or lack of normally expected response to an external force or influence and often suggests deliberate submissiveness or self-control.

passive resistance

When might idle be a better fit than passive?

While in some cases nearly identical to passive, idle applies to persons that are not busy or occupied or to their powers or their implements.

workers were idle in the fields

When can inactive be used instead of passive?

Although the words inactive and passive have much in common, inactive applies to anyone or anything not in action or in operation or at work.

on inactive status as an astronaut
inactive accounts

Where would inert be a reasonable alternative to passive?

While the synonyms inert and passive are close in meaning, inert as applied to things implies powerlessness to move or to affect other things; as applied to persons it suggests an inherent or habitual indisposition to activity.

inert ingredients in drugs
an inert citizenry

When is supine a more appropriate choice than passive?

The words supine and passive are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, supine applies only to persons and commonly implies abjectness or indolence.

a supine willingness to play the fool

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of passive Researchers assumed that corals were passive with respect to the slow-moving boundary layer, simply relying on natural diffusion through it to provide nutrients and oxygen. — Marlowe Starling, Quanta Magazine, 5 Aug. 2026 Here's Myles Garrett's girlfriend — Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim — passive aggressively wishing herself a happy National Girlfriends Day since Myles apparently forgot to. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026 Each joint incorporates passive friction that holds its position without consuming power when stationary. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026 Cool roofs, shaded streets, and passive building design reduce dangerous temperatures. — Kathy Baughman McLeod, Time, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for passive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passive
  1. resigned
  2. obedient
  3. acquiescent
Adjective
  • There’s no wonder or dread in this future — just the resigned acceptance that nothing is remarkable, despite all the nifty gadgets everyone has.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026
  • Liz Alvarado skillfully broadens this figure from a resigned, knowing older woman committed to marrying for security, to believably revealing dormant feelings within her that tamped down her first-and-only true enamorado Diego.
    — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 12 May 2026
Definition of resigned
Adjective
  • The native, late summer-blooming obedient plant is a showy addition to your garden.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 3 Aug. 2026
  • This fantasy of the obedient wife becomes Agamemnon’s undoing.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 July 2026
Definition of obedient
Adjective
  • Where Raphael’s infant Christ is plump, acquiescent, docile, Cassatt’s children squirm, resist, and ignore authority.
    — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026
  • That amendment had been made a dead letter by Jim Crow state legislatures and an acquiescent Supreme Court.
    — Robert D. Bland, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
Definition of acquiescent

Browse Nearby Words

passions
passive
passively
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Cite this Entry

“Passive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passive. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on passive

Nglish: Translation of passive for Spanish Speakers

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