passivity

noun

pas·​siv·​i·​ty pa-ˈsi-və-tē 

1

: the quality or state of being passive : passiveness

Silence is generally associated with passivity and expression with action, but for me silence requires the greater effort.

—Carina del Valle Schorske

The only thing that I find more depressing than this charlatan is the passivity of the museum-goers who pass before his works: they may have an inkling that they are being had, but they are unable to trust the evidence of their eyes.

—Jed Perl

… and now she was condemned to years of genteel English poverty by a passivity stubborn as low-grade fever.

—Vivian Gornick

The implication—that American policy makers had, out of some combination of timorous passivity and treasonous perfidy, lost China to Communism—set off one of the darkest-ever turns in American civic life.

—Daniel Kurtz-Phelan

2

chemistry : a chemically inactive state

—used especially of a metal that has lost its normal chemical activity and is resistant to corrosion

The lower limit of 11% is based on the markedly increased corrosion resistance and spontaneous passivity obtained at this level.

—Donald H. DeClerck et al.

Examples of passivity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Subcommittees still do their work, but risks arrive late, management over-curates information and directors drift into either passivity or interference. — David Ribott, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Today Twain would be startled by the passivity of a once-mighty Congress that has all but crumbled in the face of pressure from the White House. — Ron Chernow, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026

The war with Iran shows why congressional passivity is especially dangerous. — Paul Oestreicher, Hartford Courant, 10 June 2026

Political leaders and regulators have failed in parallel, whether through misunderstanding, passivity, or fascination with the technology itself. — Christopher Marquis, Time, 30 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1659, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for passivity

• acclivity
• activity
• captivity
• declivity
• festivity
• nativity
• proclivity
• absorptivity
• affectivity
• collectivity
• conductivity
• connectivity

Medical Definition

passivity

noun

pas·​siv·​i·​ty pa-ˈsiv-ət-ē 

plural passivities

: the quality or state of being passive or submissive