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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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
-
Moss’ dour expression, over-relied upon for silent exposition throughout six seasons, conveys terror in the here and now, as well as for a future where fear is replaced by acquiescence.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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This second season is once again poking at inertia and stasis and how romantic relationships can crumble into a series of self-destructive choices.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
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Manson can’t quite make up her mind about the value proposition of institutional inertia.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
15 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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He was supposed to be the antidote to the apathy.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026
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The growing apathy toward big-screen entertainment was also owed to the patina of all-American wholesomeness that studios imposed on their stables of stars, and the nothing-to-see-here style of movie journalism was wearing thin.—
Joshua John Miller,
Vanity Fair,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Courts also accord high deference to arbitration decisions and require extraordinary findings to vacate an arbitration award, meaning arbitration decisions are normally not disturbed or challenged.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
15 Apr. 2026
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In spite of a seismic crossing of the technological Rubicon, an abandonment of the centuries-old deference to the naked eye, a codifying and calcifying of the most atomic-level building block of the sport, baseball mostly just looked like baseball.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 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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Your legacy, as it is being formed daily, reflects division rather than love, harm rather than healing, and self-exaltation rather than humility.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
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Chief among his enviable traits is probably his humility.—
LeVar Burton,
Time,
15 Apr. 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 22 Apr. 2026.
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