Passive - Definition

adj 1: lacking in energy or will; "Much benevolence of the
passive order may be traced to a disinclination to
inflict pain upon oneself"- George Meredith [syn:
passive, inactive] [ant: active]
2: peacefully resistant in response to injustice; "passive
resistance" [syn: passive, peaceful]
3: expressing that the subject of the sentence is the patient of
the action denoted by the verb; "academics seem to favor
passive sentences" [ant: active]
n 1: 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, passive]
[ant: active, active voice]