Synonyms for passive
ˈpæs ɪvpas·sive

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:3.0 / 1 vote

1. passiveadjective

   Synonyms:
   idle, disinterested, uninvolved, inactive

   Antonyms:
   active, aggressive

2. passiveadjective

   Being subjected to an action without producing a reaction.

   Synonyms:
   uninvolved, inactive, disinterested, idle

   Antonyms:
   active, aggressive

3. passiveadjective

   Taking no action.

   He remained passive during the protest.

   Synonyms:
   uninvolved, inactive, idle, disinterested

   Antonyms:
   aggressive, active

4. passiveadjective

   Being in the passive voice.

   Synonyms:
   idle, inactive, uninvolved, disinterested

   Antonyms:
   active, aggressive

5. passiveadjective

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

   Synonyms:
   idle, uninvolved, disinterested, inactive

   Antonyms:
   active, aggressive

6. passiveadjective

   Not participating in management.

   Synonyms:
   idle, disinterested, uninvolved, inactive

   Antonyms:
   active, aggressive

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.0 / 2 votes

1. passive

   Synonyms:
   docile, gentle, manageable, obedient, peaceable, quiet, submissive, tractable, yielding

   Antonyms:
   balky, fidgety, fractious, fretful, frisky, impatient, intractable, mulish, mutinous, obstinate, rebellious, recalcitrant, refractory, resentful, restiff, restive, restless, skittish, stubborn, unruly, vicious

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. passive

   Synonyms:
   inactive, inert, quiescent, unresisting, unquestioning, negative, enduring, patient

   Antonyms:
   active, alert, resistant, positive, unsubmissive, malcontent, vehement, impatient

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

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"

   Synonyms:
   passive voice

   Antonyms:
   hands-on, active, proactive, activist, activistic, violent

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

   Synonyms:
   dormant, still, inactive, peaceful, nonoperational, static, motionless

   Antonyms:
   proactive, violent, activistic, active, hands-on, activist

3. passive, peacefuladjective

   peacefully resistant in response to injustice

   "passive resistance"

   Synonyms:
   peaceable, inactive, peaceful

   Antonyms:
   hands-on, active, violent, activist, activistic, proactive

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"

   Synonyms:
   inactive, peaceful

   Antonyms:
   activistic, proactive, violent, activist, active, hands-on

Matched Categories

1. • Grammar

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. passiveadjective

   Synonyms:
   quiet, quiescent, inert, inactive, not active

2. passiveadjective

   Synonyms:
   unresisting, submissive, patient, long-suffering

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. passiveadjective

   Synonyms:
   inactive, quiet, inert, receptive, quiescent, patient, unresisting, submissive

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "passive":

   liabilities, liability, negative, reactive, inactive, second-hand, passivity

How to pronounce passive?

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How to use passive in a sentence?

1. Erica Jong:

   A book burrows into your life in a very profound way because the experience of reading is not passive.

2. Mike Crawford:

   It’s not a passive process, it’s not like taking a pill or getting an operation. You have to be involved to benefit form it.

3. Tsukasa Komatani:

   Instead of a passive wait-and-see approach to this issue, we proactively establish JV together...to jointly solve the global environmental problem...and thus respond to the environmental changes of resources.

4. Katarzyna Lipka:

   I used to think being passive was enough - I just didn’t take part, but I decided to speak up.

5. David Nanigian:

   They don’t really do all that much better in terms of being tax efficient, even when the tax burden is lower, the incremental expenses charged by these funds above and beyond passive counterparts vastly exceed any incremental tax savings that they offered.