Meanings
- not comparableIn a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action.
Water flowed passively between tanks via the siphon.
2000, Brian D. Wisenden, “Scents of Danger”, in Animal Signals: signalling and signal design in animal communication, page 3692 more examples
Due to this pressure aortic and pulmonary valves are opened passively and due to relaxation blood is sucked from the venae cavae into the atrium.
2007, Klaus Dieter Budras et al., Anatomy of the Dog, page 188For most people, this sacrifice is made easily and instinctively. Not so for otroverts, who are neither willing nor able to passively adopt the social scripts that others do. To the otrovert, who is constantly engaged with the choices and consequences of their individual life, social norms follow a circular logic: […]
2025 June 19, Rami Kaminski, ““Otroverts” and why nonconformists often see what others can’t”, in Big ThinkSynonyms: automatically, mindlessly
- not comparableIn an acquiescent manner; resignedly or submissively.
They were not waving at him but sat passively as if waiting to hear if what he had to say would be derogatory to their previous relationship.
1998, Wallace Collins, Dragon Fire, page 91 more example
Paradoxically, the same faculty who complain about busyness are most likely to end up waiting passively. While they acquiescently wait to write, they busy themselves with other, often trivial, activities.
1997, Gary A. Olson, Todd W. Taylor, Publishing in Rhetoric and Composition, page 218Synonyms: resignedly, submissively
- not comparablegrammarIn the passive voice; having a passive construction.
Statements phrased in an active voice, with a few outcome-oriented goals, improve school performance more than those stated passively with either multiple goals or goals focused on processes or behaviors.
2008, Timothy J. Conlan, Alice M. Rivlin, Paul L. Posner, Intergovernmental Management for the Twenty-first Century, page 214
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbIn a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action.
adverbIn an acquiescent manner; resignedly or submissively.
More synonyms by meaning
adverbin a passive manner
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Englishpassive
- Proto-Indo-European*leyg-
- Proto-Germanic*līką
- Englishpassively
Translations
Catalan passivament
- passivamentin a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action
Finnish tahattomasti, passiivisesti
- tahattomastiin a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action
- passiivisestiin a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action
- hiljaisestiin an acquiescent manner; resignedly
- passiivisestiin an acquiescent manner; resignedly
French passivement
- passivementin a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action
German passiv
- passivin a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action
Italian passivamente
- passivamentein a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action
Norwegian passivt
- passivtin a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action
Polish biernie, pasywnie
- bierniein a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action
- pasywniein a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action
Portuguese passivamente
- passivamentein a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action
Russian пасси́вно, пасси́вно
- пасси́вно (passívno)in a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action
- пасси́вно (passívno)in an acquiescent manner; resignedly
Slovak pasívne, nečinne
- pasívnein a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action
- nečinnein an acquiescent manner; resignedly
- pasívnein an acquiescent manner; resignedly
Spanish pasivamente
- pasivamentein a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action
Turkish pasif olarak
- pasif olarakin a passive manner; without conscious or self-directed action
Cite this entry
passively. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/passively
“passively.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/passively. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “passively,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/passively.
Source: passively on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.