French word

passif

Pronunciation

IPA/pasif/

Meaning

  • adjectivepassive

Example

Elle est passive face aux nouvelles idées.

She is passive when faced with new ideas.

Illustration for passif (passive)

More examples

Pendant le projet, il est resté passif.

During the project, he remained passive.

Core concept

A person or grammatical subject that receives an action instead of initiating it, often showing little initiative.

Common phrases

  • être passif

    be passive

  • rôle passif

    passive role

  • participant passif

    passive participant

Similar words

inactif: Inactive and showing little sign of movement or action.
soumis: Willing to follow others' views or demands without much resistance.
réservé: Quiet and guarded about expressing feelings or opinions.
indécis: Uncertain when making decisions and prone to postponing them.

Definition in French

Qui reçoit l'action plutôt que d'en être l'auteur; opposé à actif en grammaire et utilisé pour qualifier une attitude sans initiative.

Word origin

French passif comes through Old French from Latin passivus, based on pati, 'to suffer or undergo', and refers to what is received.

Usage tips

  • As an adjective, passif changes for gender and number: passif, passive, passifs, and passives.

Opposites

  • actifactiveadjective
  • engagéengagedadjective

Related words

  • passivitépassivitynoun
  • passivementpassivelyadverb

Word lists with this word