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Date: 1300-1400
Language: Latin
Origin: passivus, from pati; PASSION


1 adjective
1 someone who is passive tends to accept things that happen to them or things that people say to them, without taking any action [↪ impassive]:
Kathy seems to take a very passive role in the relationship.
their passive acceptance of their fate
2 technicalSLG a passive verb or sentence has as its subject the person or thing to which an action is done, as in 'His father was killed in a car accident.' active1 (6)
passively adverb:
He listened passively as his sentence was read out.
passivity noun [uncountable]
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