Passive voice
One of the two “voices” of verbs (see also active voice). A verb is in the passive voice when the subject of the sentence is acted on by the verb. For example, in “The ball was thrown by the pitcher,” the ball (the subject) receives the action of the verb, and was thrown is in the passive voice. The same sentence cast in the active voice would be, “The pitcher threw the ball.”
Note: It is usually preferable to use the active voice wherever possible, because it gives a sense of immediacy to the sentence.
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- Passivism
[pas-uh-viz-uh m] /ˈpæs əˌvɪz əm/ noun 1. the quality of being . 2. the principle or practice of . /ˈpæsɪˌvɪzəm/ noun 1. the theory, belief, or practice of passive resistance 2. the quality, characteristics, or fact of being passive passivism pas·siv·ism (pās’ə-vĭz’əm) n.
- Passivist
[pas-uh-viz-uh m] /ˈpæs əˌvɪz əm/ noun 1. the quality of being . 2. the principle or practice of . /ˈpæsɪˌvɪzəm/ noun 1. the theory, belief, or practice of passive resistance 2. the quality, characteristics, or fact of being passive n. 1895, originally in reference to sex roles, from passive + -ist. passivism pas·siv·ism (pās’ə-vĭz’əm) n.
- Passivists
[pas-uh-viz-uh m] /ˈpæs əˌvɪz əm/ noun 1. the quality of being . 2. the principle or practice of . /ˈpæsɪˌvɪzəm/ noun 1. the theory, belief, or practice of passive resistance 2. the quality, characteristics, or fact of being passive passivism pas·siv·ism (pās’ə-vĭz’əm) n.
- Passivity
[pa-siv-i-tee] /pæˈsɪv ɪ ti/ noun 1. Also, passiveness [pas-iv-nis] /ˈpæs ɪv nɪs/ (Show IPA). the state or condition of being . 2. chemical inactivity, especially the resistance to corrosion of certain metals when covered with a coherent oxide layer. n. 1650s, from passive + -ity.
- Passkey
[pas-kee, pahs-] /ˈpæsˌki, ˈpɑs-/ noun, plural passkeys. 1. . 2. . 3. a private . 4. a latchkey. /ˈpɑːsˌkiː/ noun 1. any of various keys, esp a latchkey 2. another term for master key, skeleton key