Synonym Chooser

How is the word passive different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of passive are idle, inactive, inert, and supine. While all these words mean "not engaged in work or activity," passive implies immobility or lack of normally expected response to an external force or influence and often suggests deliberate submissiveness or self-control.

passive resistance

When might idle be a better fit than passive?

While in some cases nearly identical to passive, idle applies to persons that are not busy or occupied or to their powers or their implements.

workers were idle in the fields

When can inactive be used instead of passive?

Although the words inactive and passive have much in common, inactive applies to anyone or anything not in action or in operation or at work.

on inactive status as an astronaut
inactive accounts

Where would inert be a reasonable alternative to passive?

While the synonyms inert and passive are close in meaning, inert as applied to things implies powerlessness to move or to affect other things; as applied to persons it suggests an inherent or habitual indisposition to activity.

inert ingredients in drugs
an inert citizenry

When is supine a more appropriate choice than passive?

The words supine and passive are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, supine applies only to persons and commonly implies abjectness or indolence.

a supine willingness to play the fool

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of passive For investors more inclined to invest in passive index funds instead trying their hand at more risky stock-picking, the Vanguard Small-Cap Value Index Fund ETF (VBR) could be an appropriate option for shelter from a potential trade war. Hank Tucker, Forbes, 3 Feb. 2025 The Avs lost some of the killer instinct and became more passive, looking for pretty plays instead of simple shots against a beleaguered Blues squad. Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 31 Jan. 2025 That has since ballooned to $47 billion, said Bryan Armour, Morningstar’s director of passive strategies research. Michelle Fox, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2025 An alternative is its passive Gold Miners ETF, which entails a bid/ask spread near 0.1% plus 0.5% in annual expenses. William Baldwin, Forbes, 1 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for passive 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passive
Adjective
  • Suddenly, a season of weekly must-win games and hard conversations gave way to a resigned relaxation.
    Paul Dehner Jr., The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Crowds gathering for the Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival on the sprawling palace grounds reached into backpacks for umbrellas with the resigned look of people attending a supremely English occasion designed to be held in sunshine.
    Sophie Elmhirst, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • His oxygen tank sat at his knees like an obedient mastiff.
    Brandon Taylor, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2025
  • Anyone who meets the gentle, obedient boy would never call him that.
    Bebe Hodges, USA TODAY, 15 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Netanyahu appears convinced that his country’s security, along with his own political survival, depends on prolonging the military offensives and keeping both Gaza and Lebanon ungovernable, and therefore acquiescent.
    Mohanad Hage Ali, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2024
  • The young man’s comment was out of line, and my silence felt somehow acquiescent.
    Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near passive

Cite this Entry

“Passive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passive. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on passive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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