as in resigned
receiving or enduring without offering resistance
the union rank and file were surprisingly passive about the givebacks in the new labor contract
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Recent Examples of passive
This includes raising tax rates on passive income, such as interest and dividends, earned by investors who are potentially sitting on trillions in American assets.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 30 May 2025
Edwards went from scoring 30 points in under 30 minutes in Game 3 to being shockingly passive in Game 4, taking just two shots in the first half, leading to four points.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
Read More: What the New ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Report Says About Children’s Health
Employers can’t afford to be passive.
—Dr. Mandy Cohen, Time, 27 May 2025
What’s Next for Agencies Investing in Interactive Avatars? For marketing agencies, the opportunity lies in rethinking ad creative—moving from passive to interactive experiences that give users a reason to engage.
—Jiajun Lu, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for passive
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 30 May 2025
Edwards went from scoring 30 points in under 30 minutes in Game 3 to being shockingly passive in Game 4, taking just two shots in the first half, leading to four points.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
Read More: What the New ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Report Says About Children’s Health
Employers can’t afford to be passive.
—Dr. Mandy Cohen, Time, 27 May 2025
What’s Next for Agencies Investing in Interactive Avatars? For marketing agencies, the opportunity lies in rethinking ad creative—moving from passive to interactive experiences that give users a reason to engage.
—Jiajun Lu, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for passive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passive
Adjective
-
His resigned air in the press conference felt like a man who had too much to juggle to cross over the line first.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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In recent weeks, a number of artists canceled planned appearances and resigned positions associated with the center.—
Julia Jacobs,
New York Times,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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They’re done being obedient to an archaic and broken system.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
1 Aug. 2024
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According to the new framing, Russia’s real fight is against the mighty United States, which wants to destroy it, while Ukraine—just like the European Union and NATO—is merely an obedient U.S. satellite.—
Andrei Kolesnikov,
Foreign Affairs,
25 May 2023
Adjective
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Where Chelsea’s domestic overseers have been largely acquiescent to their accounting ingenuity, the same can’t be said abroad.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
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Netanyahu appears convinced that his country’s security, along with his own political survival, depends on prolonging the military offensives and keeping both Gaza and Lebanon ungovernable, and therefore acquiescent.—
Mohanad Hage Ali,
Foreign Affairs,
1 Nov. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Passive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passive. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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