adj. 1 suffering action; acted upon. 2 offering no opposition; submissive. 3 a not active; inert. b (of a metal) abnormally unreactive. 4 Gram. designating the voice in which the subject undergoes the action of the verb (e.g. in they were killed). 5 (of a debt) incurring no interest payment. passive obedience 1 surrender to another's will without cooperation. 2 compliance with commands irrespective of their nature. passive resistance a non-violent refusal to cooperate. passive smoking the involuntary inhaling, esp. by a non-smoker, of smoke from others' cigarettes etc. passively adv. passiveness n. passivity n.
[ ME f. OF passif -ive or L passivus (as PASSION) ]