passive

B1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈpæsɪv/ UK /ˈpæs.ɪv/ See IPA manual

Freq #14265

Meanings

1

adj
Accepting what happens without taking action or resisting.

He stayed passive during the argument and said nothing.
2

adj
Describing a verb form where the subject receives the action, as in 'the ball was thrown'.

Academic writing often favours passive sentences.
3

noun
The form of a verb showing that the subject receives the action rather than doing it.

'The ball was thrown by the boy' is written in the passive.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · accepting what happens... inactive inert

3 noun · the form of a verb showing... passive voice

More disinterested uninvolved

Word family

Forms passivenesspassives

Derived forms activo-passiveantipassiveendopassiveexopassiveinterpassivemediopassiveneutropassivenonpassivepaggropassifanpassivalpassivate

Related forms passion passionate patience patient

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

Etymology

From Middle English passyf, passyve, from Middle French, French passif, from Latin passivus (“serving to express the suffering of an action; in late Latin literally capable of suffering or feeling”), from passus, past participle of pati (“to suffer”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₁- (“to hurt”); compare patient.

*peh₁- Proto-Indo-European passyf Middle English passif French passivus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# passive

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈpæsɪv/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈpæs.ɪv/
**Frequency rank:** 14265

## Meanings
1. Accepting what happens without taking action or resisting.
2. Describing a verb form where the subject receives the action, as in 'the ball was thrown'.
3. The form of a verb showing that the subject receives the action rather than doing it.

## Examples
- He stayed passive during the argument and said nothing.
- Academic writing often favours passive sentences.
- 'The ball was thrown by the boy' is written in the passive.

## Synonyms
- disinterested
- uninvolved

## Derived Forms
- activo-passive
- antipassive
- endopassive
- exopassive
- interpassive
- mediopassive
- neutropassive
- nonpassive
- paggro
- passifan
- passival
- passivate

## Related Forms
- passion
- passionate
- patience
- patient

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *peh₁-
- Root: passyf
- Root: passif
- Root: passivus

## Etymology
From Middle English passyf, passyve, from Middle French, French passif, from Latin passivus (“serving to express the suffering of an action; in late Latin literally capable of suffering or feeling”), from passus, past participle of pati (“to suffer”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₁- (“to hurt”); compare patient.

## AI Etymology
Passive comes from Middle English passyf, passyve, from Middle French, French passif, from Latin passivus (“serving to express the suffering of an action; in late Latin literally capable of suffering or feeling”), from passus, past participle of pati (“to suffer”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₁- (“to hurt”); compare patient. Modern senses include accepting what happens without taking action or resisting and describing a verb form where the subject receives the action, as in 'the ball was thrown'. The wider word family includes derivatives such as activo-passive, antipassive, endopassive, exopassive, interpassive, and mediopassive and related forms such as passion, passionate, patience, and patient.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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