Passive

Passive
Passive Pas"sive, a. [L. passivus: cf. F. passif. See {Passion}.] 1. Not active, but acted upon; suffering or receiving impressions or influences; as, they were passive spectators, not actors in the scene. [1913 Webster]

The passive air Upbore their nimble tread. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

The mind is wholly passive in the reception of all its simple ideas. --Locke. [1913 Webster]

2. Receiving or enduring without either active sympathy or active resistance; without emotion or excitement; patient; not opposing; unresisting; as, passive obedience; passive submission. [1913 Webster]

The best virtue, passive fortitude. --Massinger. [1913 Webster]

3. (Chem.) Inactive; inert; not showing strong affinity; as, red phosphorus is comparatively passive. [1913 Webster]

4. (Med.) 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. [1913 Webster]

{Passive congestion} (Med.), congestion due to obstruction to the return of the blood from the affected part.

{Passive iron} (Chem.), iron which has been subjected to the action of heat, of strong nitric acid, chlorine, etc. It is then not easily acted upon by acids.

{Passive movement} (Med.), a movement of a part, in order to exercise it, made without the assistance of the muscles which ordinarily move the part.

{Passive obedience} (as used by writers on government), obedience or submission of the subject or citizen as a duty in all cases to the existing government.

{Passive prayer}, among mystic divines, a suspension of the activity of the soul or intellectual faculties, the soul remaining quiet, and yielding only to the impulses of grace.

{Passive verb}, or {Passive voice} (Gram.), a verb, or form of a verb, which expresses the effect of the action of some agent; as, in Latin, doceor, I am taught; in English, she is loved; the picture is admired by all; he is assailed by slander. [1913 Webster]

Syn: Inactive; inert; quiescent; unresisting; unopposing; suffering; enduring; submissive; patient. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • passive — pas·sive / pa siv/ adj: not involving, deriving from, or requiring effort or active participation imposed a passive duty not to interfere; specif: of, relating to, or being business activity in which the investor does not have immediate control… …   Law dictionary

  • passive — 1. The passive voice is illustrated by the sentence Brazil were beaten by France in the final, in which the object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb and the subject is expressed as an agent introduced by the preposition… …   Modern English usage

  • Passive — is the opposite of active. It has several specific meanings:* Passive voice of a verb * Passivation is the formation of a non reactive surface film that inhibits further corrosion of a metal * Passive components in electronics * Passive mode in… …   Wikipedia

  • passive — [pas′iv] adj. [ME passif < L passivus < passus: see PASSION] 1. influenced or acted upon without exerting influence or acting in return; inactive, but acted upon 2. offering no opposition or resistance; submissive; yielding; patient 3.… …   English World dictionary

  • passive — (adj.) late 14c., in grammatical sense (opposed to active), from L. passivus capable of feeling or suffering, from pass , pp. stem of pati to suffer (see PASSION (Cf. passion)). Meaning not active is first recorded late 15c. Passive resistance… …   Etymology dictionary

  • passive — ► ADJECTIVE 1) accepting or allowing what happens or what others do, without active response or resistance. 2) Grammar (of verbs) in which the subject undergoes the action of the verb (e.g. they were killed as opposed to the active form he killed …   English terms dictionary

  • passive — inactive, inert, idle, supine Analogous words: impassive, phlegmatic, stolid, apathetic Antonyms: active Contrasted words: live, operative, dynamic (see ACTIVE) …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • passive — [adj] lifeless, inactive acquiescent, apathetic, asleep, bearing, compliant, cool, docile, enduring, flat, forbearing, going through motions*, hands off*, idle, indifferent, inert, laid back*, latent, long suffering, moony, motionless,… …   New thesaurus

  • passive — As used in law, this term means inactive; permissive; consisting in endurance or submission, rather than action; and in some connections it carries the implication of being subjected to a burden or charge. As to passive debt passive negligence… …   Black's law dictionary

  • passive — [[t]pæ̱sɪv[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED (disapproval) If you describe someone as passive, you mean that they do not take action but instead let things happen to them. His passive attitude made things easier for me... Even passive acceptance of the regime… …   English dictionary

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