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
Seeking copper wire, preparing a poultice, pouring a bath — these turn passivity into agency.
—
Jan Steyn, The Dial, 10 Mar. 2026
Only Clark’s passivity seems more out of the boredom of having peaked at local-news celebrity status than anything else.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2026
None of his subjects question this way of thinking, and their zomboid passivity ultimately feels more creepy than charming.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026
Her passivity in the face of her friend’s suicide leads to her confinement in the psychiatric hospital.
—David Tucker, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for passivity
Jan Steyn, The Dial, 10 Mar. 2026
Only Clark’s passivity seems more out of the boredom of having peaked at local-news celebrity status than anything else.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2026
None of his subjects question this way of thinking, and their zomboid passivity ultimately feels more creepy than charming.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026
Her passivity in the face of her friend’s suicide leads to her confinement in the psychiatric hospital.
—David Tucker, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for passivity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passivity
Noun
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Writing in the early 1890s, Nadar deployed Balzac’s reported initial mistrust and later acquiescence to the daguerreotype as an allegory of larger significance for understanding the history of invention.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
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But as the sexist and racist nature of the MAGA machine has gained mainstream acquiescence if not acceptance, the need to keep up the appearance of diversity is less and less.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Cuban model isn’t working, and its allies—China, Russia, and the pragmatic wing of Latin American progressivism—seem to have grown tired of the government’s inertia.—
Carlos Manuel Alvarez,
Time,
24 Apr. 2026
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In space, only inertia causes objects to move.—
Chelsea Gohd,
Space.com,
20 Apr. 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
-
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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To succeed for the GOP, the map requires both 2024’s Democratic and independent voter apathy and 2022’s swing to the right by independents.—
Daniel A. Smith,
The Conversation,
30 Apr. 2026
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Experts say the participation rate in local races stands in contrast to the broader apathy felt toward the Palestinian Authority.—
SAM METZ,
Arkansas Online,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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However, federal law requires that judges review arbitration awards with a high degree of deference and should only vacate them if there’s an extraordinary defect, such as the award was procured by fraud or the arbitrator failed to consider relevant evidence or follow basic legal principles.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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This type of deference to the executive, which relies on presidential good faith, now amounts to judicial abdication.—
Gregg Nunziata,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Despite his relative passiveness, Brighton’s collective structure is strong.—
Matt Pyzdrowski,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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My strength is the opposite — insight, humility, and the ability to bring the right people and ideas together to solve complex problems.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
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Instead, technology can be used to uphold the very values of humility and responsibility that the tradition was built.—
FMG Studios,
Footwear News,
1 May 2026
Noun
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Their apps seem clearly designed, much like TikTok and Candy Crush, to keep users scrolling and tapping in a hypnotic stupor.—
McKay Coppins,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2026
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Patrons — many just as panicked and some in a drunken stupor — ran by her.—
Emiliano Tahui Gómez,
Austin American Statesman,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Passivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passivity. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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