passive
Meaning
adj 1: lacking in energy or will; "Much benevolence of the passiveorder may be traced to a disinclination to inflict
pain upon oneself"- George Meredith [syn: inactive]
[ant: active]
2: peacefully resistant in response to injustice; "passive
resistance" [syn: peaceful]
3: expressing thatthe subject of the sentence is the patient of
the action denoted by the verb; "academics seem to favor
passive sentences" [ant: active]
n : the voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of
the verb is the recipient (not the source) of the action
denoted by the verb; "`The ball was thrown by the boy'
uses the passive voice"; "`The ball was thrown' is an
abbreviated passive" [syn: passive voice] [ant: active
voice]