Definition of passivenext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word passive different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of passive are idle, inactive, inert, and supine. While all these words mean "not engaged in work or activity," passive implies immobility or lack of normally expected response to an external force or influence and often suggests deliberate submissiveness or self-control.

passive resistance

When might idle be a better fit than passive?

While in some cases nearly identical to passive, idle applies to persons that are not busy or occupied or to their powers or their implements.

workers were idle in the fields

When can inactive be used instead of passive?

Although the words inactive and passive have much in common, inactive applies to anyone or anything not in action or in operation or at work.

on inactive status as an astronaut
inactive accounts

Where would inert be a reasonable alternative to passive?

While the synonyms inert and passive are close in meaning, inert as applied to things implies powerlessness to move or to affect other things; as applied to persons it suggests an inherent or habitual indisposition to activity.

inert ingredients in drugs
an inert citizenry

When is supine a more appropriate choice than passive?

The words supine and passive are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, supine applies only to persons and commonly implies abjectness or indolence.

a supine willingness to play the fool

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of passive In modern music, relationships between artists and cultural figures are no longer passive. Datwon Thomas, VIBE.com, 25 June 2026 However, despite their softness and empathy, Cancer isn’t necessarily passive. Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026 Leaders from both companies said televisions are no longer just passive devices for streaming video. Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 24 June 2026 Under early index-inclusion rules, passive funds have to buy approximately $22 billion to $27 billion SPCX to hit its new weight, except there’s almost nothing to sell them. Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 16 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for passive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passive
Adjective
  • There’s something refreshing, in a resigned sort of way, about finding yourself in a restaurant that knows the value of everything—and the price, too.
    Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
  • The general reaction from my colleagues seemed to be a resigned sense that chaos is the new norm.
    Paul Knoepfler, STAT, 21 May 2026
Adjective
  • Second, victims of higher taxes don’t stand still and get sheared like obedient sheep.
    Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • The dogs Kostyukevich saw on Happy K9 Academy’s Instagram page seemed happy and obedient.
    Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 25 June 2026
Adjective
  • That amendment had been made a dead letter by Jim Crow state legislatures and an acquiescent Supreme Court.
    Robert D. Bland, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Trump is the most corrupt and scandal-plagued president since Nixon; indeed, his fiascoes eclipse Nixon’s, but many of them remain mostly or somewhat hidden, thanks in part to a much more acquiescent Republican Congress than the one Nixon had.
    David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Passive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passive. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.

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