PASSIVE

adj. 1 inactive, non-aggressive, inert, motionless, unresponsive, quiet, calm, tranquil, serene, placid, still, idle, unmoving, unmoved, impassive, untouched, cool, indifferent, phlegmatic, uninterested, uninvolved, dispassionate, apathetic, lifeless, listless, quiescent, unperturbed, unaffected, imperturbable, unshaken, Colloq laid-back, out of it The comic was unable to get a reaction from the passive audience 2 submissive, repressed, deferential, yielding, compliant, complaisant, receptive, flexible, malleable, pliable, tractable, docile, subdued, sheepish, ovine, lamblike, cow-like, bovine, tame, gentle, meek, patient, unresisting, unassertive, forbearing, tolerant, resigned, long-suffering, Colloq US excuse-me-for-living People tend to bully those of a more passive nature 3 unexpressed, tacit, unrevealed, undisclosed, implicit, unasserted We can no longer take a passive position regarding crime Your passive support, while welcome, is not as effective as active campaigning.