Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The condition or quality of being passive; inactivity, quiescence, or submissiveness.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Same as
passiveness .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Passiveness; -- opposed to
activity . - noun (Physics) The tendency of a body to remain in a given state, either of motion or rest, till disturbed by another body; inertia.
- noun (Chem.) The quality or condition of any substance which has no inclination to chemical activity; inactivity.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The state of being
passive . - noun
Submissiveness . - noun A lack of
initiative .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the trait of remaining inactive; a lack of initiative
- noun submission to others or to outside influences
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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He also expressed disappointment at what he called the passivity of neighboring states, including South Africa, in the face of the suffering of Zimbabweans.
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U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell expressed disappointment at what he called the passivity of neighboring states, including South Africa, in the face of the suffering of
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He also expressed disappointment at what he called the passivity of neighboring states, including South Africa, in the face of the suffering of Zimbabweans.
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The most common rationale for his current passivity is that his plate is too full.
Sunday Reading 2009
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They could either go ahead with industrialization the C/GHG-sky-rocketing way (China has been stocking up on petroleum) or stagnate in passivity, ignoring EmReds appeals/requirements.
AGU Day 0: Restarting the Climate Conversation | Serendipity 2009
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This question, of course, goes unasked as the line, a study in passivity, stares straight ahead.
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This question, of course, goes unasked as the line, a study in passivity, stares straight ahead.
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I am not sure with what instrument one measures passivity, but passivity is what I sensed in the moldering dark regions†people just waiting, for what neither I nor they knew, just going from day to day, except for the gangs, who killed people.
Think Progress » Ann Coulter to MoveOn: “How About Helping Out?” 2005
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But passivity is not merely the dark haze that devours personality, it is also the last resort open to human beings as they defy an oppressive order by rendering themselves inaccessible to its intentions.
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Spectatorial passivity is strictly discouraged by such a mode of filmmaking.
Current Movie Reviews, Independent Movies - Film Threat 2001
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