1
as in acquiescence
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2
as in inertia
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of passivity
While some of the explanation for the result lies in Aston Villa’s strange passivity, Sunderland’s attitude to losing Reinildo and then going behind to Matty Cash’s 67th-minute long-range shot delighted Le Bris and the home support.
—
Michael Walker, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025
Dating Feels Ambiguous, And Confidence Is Declining The Match survey also showed that 63% of singles say there is more passivity in making the first move, reflecting uncertainty around expectations and traditional versus modern gender roles.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
One of the main problems, of course, is the physical passivity.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
News reporting and other media encouraged conformity and political passivity.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for passivity
Michael Walker, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025
Dating Feels Ambiguous, And Confidence Is Declining The Match survey also showed that 63% of singles say there is more passivity in making the first move, reflecting uncertainty around expectations and traditional versus modern gender roles.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
One of the main problems, of course, is the physical passivity.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
News reporting and other media encouraged conformity and political passivity.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for passivity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passivity
Noun
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Passage of this resolution was tantamount to acquiescence by Congress, granting the president the authority to respond militarily by sending thousands of troops to fight in Vietnam.—
Richard Cherwitz,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
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Despite that goal, the Utah Legislature’s Republican supermajority, with Cox’s acquiescence, has taken a hard turn against solar power — which has been coming online faster than any other source in Utah and accounts for two-thirds of the new projects waiting to connect to the state’s power grid.—
Anjeanette Damon,
ProPublica,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Japan’s old, stodgy government is initially too caught up in bureaucratic red tape and inertia to mount a response.—
James Grebey,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
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Her confinement was not the result of any criminal conduct, but of bureaucratic error compounded by institutional inertia.—
Mike Hellgren,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But for Coles, his indoctrination to law enforcement has been a different level of submissiveness.—
Dan Pompei,
New York Times,
2 Dec. 2025
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In Killers of the Flower Moon, his Ernest Burkhart starts off as a mopey, weak-minded World War One veteran, eager to do anything for his godfather uncle (Robert De Niro), but there’s still a certain likability to his dim-bulb submissiveness.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Unfortunately for her, apathy doesn't appear to be part of the recipe for a long and successful career at PTMC.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
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After months of apathy and doubt, optimism is suddenly abundant.—
Paul Tenorio,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
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When President Joe Biden was in office, the United States did not treat Maduro as a legitimate head of state entitled to diplomatic deference.—
Timothy M. Herbst,
Hartford Courant,
13 Jan. 2026
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More recently, the overturning of Chevron deference in Loper Bright (2024) gives judges new bases to substitute their preferred interpretations for those of expert agencies acting on congressional will.—
Duncan Hosie,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The passage from the ordinary way of the world to the contemplative way of tea symbolizes humility.—
The Conversation,
The Conversation,
7 Jan. 2026
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Candidates from both parties use breathless prose, artificial deadlines and sometimes a dose of humility to add a sense of urgency to their appeals.—
John C. Moritz,
Austin American Statesman,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Spotlight The Welcome Demise of Climate Change Catastrophism Is the American Left finally waking up from its decades-long climate catastrophism stupor?—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Dec. 2025
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Binging the best Thanksgiving episodes in a post-meal stupor is one way to cope with a less-than-lovely holiday.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Nov. 2025
Noun
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May the Spirit of God, who is truth and strength, and instils meekness and courage, sustain you.—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
9 Oct. 2025
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Most Canadians want uncomplicated lives, a desire for calm that can be misinterpreted by louder people as meekness.—
Chris Jones,
The Atlantic,
14 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Passivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passivity. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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