# passive

/ˈpæsɪv/ (US) · /pˈɑːsɪv/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/passive
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. not taking action

adjective · CEFR B2

accepting what happens or what people do without trying to change anything.

For teachers: accepting or allowing what happens or what others do, without active response or resistance.

- He played a passive role in the meeting and let others make all the decisions.
- The local population remained largely passive during the political transition, observing the changes without organized protest or public endorsement.

### 2. grammar

adjective · CEFR B2 · Academic

describing a sentence where the person or thing that receives the action is the subject.

For teachers: denoting a voice of verbs in which the subject undergoes the action of the verb.

- In the passive sentence 'The window was broken,' we don't know who did it.
- Scientific writing often employs the passive voice to maintain an objective tone, focusing on the process rather than the researcher.

### 3. finance/investment

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

earning money without being actively involved in a business or job.

For teachers: relating to a form of investment or income where the individual is not involved in day-to-day operations.

- He earns a passive income from the apartments he rents out to students.
- Passive investment strategies, such as index funds, typically incur lower management fees than those requiring active trading by a fund manager.

### 4. electronics/technology

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

describing a part that uses energy but does not create or increase it.

For teachers: relating to a component or system that does not require an external power source to function or cannot amplify a signal.

- The house uses passive solar heating to stay warm in the winter.
- The circuit design relies on passive components like resistors and capacitors to filter the signal without the need for additional power amplification.

### 5. the passive voice

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic

the form of a verb used when the subject is having something done to it.

For teachers: the passive voice or a verb in that voice.

- The teacher told us to avoid using the passive too much in our essays.
- While the passive is useful for emphasizing the recipient of an action, overusing it can make prose feel heavy and indirect.

## Examples

- The teacher explained how to form the passive correctly.
- Scientific papers often use the passive to maintain an objective tone and focus on the results rather than the researcher.
- While overusing the passive can lead to wordy or evasive prose, it remains a vital tool for shifting emphasis toward the entity affected by a specific event.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.