passively

passively — adverb

1. without doing anything to shape or stop what is happening, so you leave the situ

1.adverbC1
Definition

without doing anything to shape or stop what is happening, so you leave the situation or the decision in other people's hands.

Example

Leo sat passively while his brother chose the movie for everyone.

sit + passively while someone else decides

During the meeting, Nina listened passively and never asked a question.

listen passively in a group discussion

Common collocations
  • sit passively
  • listen passively
  • watch passively
  • wait passively
  • accept passively
Synonyms
  • inactively

    focuses on not doing anything, without clearly suggesting that others take control

  • submissively

    stronger; suggests willing obedience to another person's authority

  • meekly

    adds a sense of softness, fear, or lack of confidence

Antonyms
  • actively

    shows direct effort to influence events

  • assertively

    stresses confident action or speaking up

Grammar Patterns

verb + passively

passively accept + noun

passively watch/listen/wait

Usage Note

Usually follows verbs such as sit, listen, watch, wait, or accept, showing a lack of response rather than simple silence. Distinguish from calmly: someone may act calmly and still take control, but someone acting passively does not really try to affect the result.

Common Mistakes

She looked passively during the argument.
She sat passively during the argument.
'passively' describes an action or response, not the verb 'look' in this meaning.
The students passively about the new rule.
The students reacted passively to the new rule.
the adverb must modify a full verb phrase.

Word family

  • passive
    adjectiveB2
  • passivity
    nounC1
  • passiveness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

'Passively' means not trying to influence what happens, especially when other people or events take control. 'Inactively' is weaker: it simply says no action is taken, and it does not always suggest surrender. 'Submissively' is stronger and usually involves accepting another person's power or commands. 'Meekly' adds personality, suggesting a shy or easily controlled attitude. So a worker may listen passively in a meeting, a patient may wait inactively for news, a soldier may obey submissively, and a child may answer meekly after being scolded. If you want to stress lack of resistance in a real situation, 'passively' is usually the best choice.

passively ↗inactivelysubmissivelymeekly

Common collocations

Nouns

  • passively accept criticism
  • passively accept change

Phrases

  • sit passively
  • listen passively
  • watch passively
  • wait passively

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

'Passively' is built from 'passive' and the adverb ending '-ly'. 'Passive' came into English through French from Latin 'passivus', based on a verb meaning 'to suffer' or 'to undergo'. That history helps explain the modern sense: someone acting passively receives what happens instead of trying to direct it.