- (a.) Receiving or enduring without either active sympathy or active resistance; without emotion or excitement; patient; not opposing; unresisting; as, passive obedience; passive submission.
- (a.) Inactive; inert; not showing strong affinity; as, red phosphorus is comparatively passive.
- (a.) 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.
- (a.) Not active, but acted upon; suffering or receiving impressions or influences; as, they were passive spectators, not actors in the scene.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). passive. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/passive/definitions/2042543 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "passive" http://smartdefine.org/passive/definitions/2042543 (accessed September 21, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, passive, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/passive/definitions/2042543>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "passive" 27 May 2011. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/passive/definitions/2042543> |