passive

passive is on the Academic Word List.

Pronunciation

• (UK) (US) enPR: păsʹ-ĭv, IPA ^(key): /ˈpæs.ɪv/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pas‧sive

Adjective

Positive passive

Comparative more passive

Superlative most passive

1. If someone is passive, they do not normally respond or take action.

   Watching TV is a much more passive activity than reading.

   After his injury, he was forced to play a more passive role on the team.

2. (grammar) A passive clause has the natural object as its subject.

   While "she hit me" is an active clause, "I was hit (by her)" is passive.

Antonyms

• active
• aggressive

Related words

• passively
• passivity
• passiveness