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?

How to say passive in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use passive in a sentence?

1. Jim Smigiel:

   Passive investing works for highly developed and liquid markets. When an investor is thinking about a passive investment, they really want to just replicate the overall market's gains.

2. Eric Lustbader:

   Men make the mistake of thinking that because women can't see the sense in violence, they must be passive creatures. It's just not true. In one important way, at least, men are the passive sex. Given a choice, they will always opt for the status quo. They hate change of any kind, and they fight against it constantly. On the other hand, what women want is stability, which when you stop to think about it is a very different animal.

3. Evy Hambro:

   The weight of money flowing into products in this area, whether they are active or passive, will shift the cost of capital for companies.

4. Mathias Basner:

   Passive strategies, like new windows or insulation, can be very effective for nocturnal noise exposure, but should really be our last resort, noise that is not produced cannot have effects.

5. Andrew Dossi:

   The mayor seemed passive.