passive, inactive
(adjective) lacking in energy or will; “Much benevolence of the passive order may be traced to a disinclination to inflict pain upon oneself”- George Meredith
passive
(adjective) expressing that the subject of the sentence is the patient of the action denoted by the verb; “academics seem to favor passive sentences”
passive, peaceful
(adjective) peacefully resistant in response to injustice; “passive resistance”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
passive (comparative more passive, superlative most passive)
Being subjected to an action without producing a reaction.
Taking no action.
(grammar) Being in the passive voice.
(psychology) Being inactive and submissive in a relationship, especially in a sexual one.
(finance) Not participating in management.
(aviation) Without motive power.
(electronics) Of a component: that consumes but does not produce energy, or is incapable of power gain.
Antonym: active
• inactive
• idle
• disinterested
• uninvolved
• active
• aggressive
passive (plural passives)
(grammar) The passive voice of verbs.
(grammar) A form of a verb that is in the passive voice.
(marketing) A customer who is satisfied with a product or service, but not keen enough to promote it by word of mouth.
(electronics) Any component that consumes but does not produce energy, or is incapable of power gain.
• pavises
Source: Wiktionary
Pas"sive, a. Etym: [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. The passive air Upbore their nimble tread. Milton. The mind is wholly passive in the reception of all its simple ideas. Locke.
2. Receiving or enduring without either active sympathy or active resistance; without emotion or excitement; patient; not opposing; unresisting; as, passive obedience; passive submission. The best virtue, passive fortitude. Massinger.
3. (Chem.)
Definition: Inactive; inert; not showing strong affinity; as, red phosphorus is comparatively passive.
4. (Med.)
Definition: 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. 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.
Syn.
– Inactive; inert; quiescent; unresisting; unopposing; suffering; enduring; submissive; patient.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
24 December 2024
(adverb) in an intuitive manner; “inventors seem to have chosen intuitively a combination of explosive and aggressive sounds as warning signals to be used on automobiles”
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.
