I. pas ‧ sive 1 AC /ˈpæsɪv/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ passivity ; adverb : ↑ passively ; adjective : ↑ passive ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: passivus , from pati ; ⇨ ↑ passion ]
1 . someone who is passive tends to accept things that happen to them or things that people say to them, without taking any action ⇨ impassive :
Kathy seems to take a very passive role in the relationship.
their passive acceptance of their fate
2 . technical a passive verb or sentence has as its subject the person or thing to which an action is done, as in ‘His father was killed in a car accident.’ ⇨ ↑ active 1 (6)
—passively adverb :
He listened passively as his sentence was read out.
—passivity /pæˈsɪvəti, pæˈsɪvɪti/ noun [uncountable]
II. passive 2 AC BrE AmE noun
the passive technical the passive form of a verb, for example ‘was destroyed’ in the sentence ‘The building was destroyed during the war.’
⇨ ↑ active 2